Experts Say Missouri Quake Risk Worse Than Elsewhere

The good news is a major New Madrid Fault quake may not strike Missouri in your lifetime or mine. The bad news is if it does, it will likely be much more devastating than earthquakes in other parts of America for one simple reason - sand.

I came across this fascinating perspective on why the New Madrid Seismic Zone is considered to be the most at-risk fault in America when it comes to the damage it's capable of by Deep Dive on YouTube.

Their entire presentation is worth a watch, but I can sum it up with one word: liquefaction. The USGS defines this as what "takes place when loosely packed, water-logged sediments at or near the ground surface lose their strength in response to strong ground shaking". We know that much of Missouri near the Mississippi River has sediments of sand underneath it. The theory goes that a major earthquake causes not just a crack in the ground, but causes it to sometimes explode upward destroying whatever is above it.

How can we know that liquefaction is likely during a major New Madrid Fault quake?

History has taught us that liquefaction is exactly what happened in many parts of the Missouri boot heel during the historic quakes of 1811 and 1812 as this account from Eliza Bryan details.

That's one of the reasons that experts have upped estimates of the damage a major New Madrid Fault quake could do is now around $300 billion dollars according to the Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance. That's one of the many reasons why everyone that lives in Missouri must remain earthquake aware constantly. A major seismic event will happen in the New Madrid Seismic Zone again someday and today might be that day.