2 Earthquakes Hit Near I-55 in Missouri Friday Morning

No reason for alarm, but just a heads up that Missouri has experienced two New Madrid Fault earthquakes Friday morning and both were adjacent to I-55 in completely different places.

According to the USGS, these two Missouri quakes happened within about an hour and a half of each other and both were centered next to I-55

Infographic, USGS.gov

Neither was significant in strength with one being confirmed by the USGS to be 2.2 in magnitude located east/northeast of Steele, Missouri and the other being a 1.8 just north of New Madrid, Missouri. Both of these quakes were not reportedly felt by anyone in the Missouri boot heel region which is not surprising.

What's the significance of the quakes being adjacent to I-55 in Missouri?

For tiny quakes like the ones that occurred Friday morning, there is no significance. However, imagine if either had been magnitude 6 or greater. That would mean that all overpasses in that area would need to be checked by inspectors before travel would be considered safe. The same would be true of bridges. That's one of the many concerns if a major New Madrid Fault quake were ever to happen. Transportation disruption would also be a hindrance to any needed rescue efforts and resupply needs. It's the one aspect of a potential New Madrid Fault quake that doesn't get discussed often enough and the reason why having an emergency plan that includes the inability to travel is necessary.