Earthquake Reported Near Missouri’s Lake Wappapello

Here's something you don't hear today. There was an earthquake that just happened near Lake Wappapello in Missouri. That means the New Madrid Fault has decided to shake a brand new part of the state today.

UPDATE: USGS has now upgraded this quake from a 2.4 to a 2.6 magnitude shaker.

The USGS has just confirmed an earthquake near Lake Wappapello State Park at 11:23am Saturday, November 1

It wasn't a major quake by any means registering only a 2.4 magnitude on the Richter Scale. It's the location that's interesting since you normally see New Madrid Fault quakes either in the Missouri boot heel or northern Arkansas. When a quake happens further north in Missouri, the small tremors are normally closer to the St. Louis area if that's the case. I can't remember ever seeing an earthquake near Lake Wappapello.

I'm also surprised that no one reported feeling this quake since Lake Wappapello is a frequently-visited area. That being said, a 2.4 quake would not be something that would immediately get your attention even if it happened directly beneath you.

Does the mean a major New Madrid quake is imminent?

Absolutely not. The only reason I bring this up is it's almost always asked whenever the New Madrid Seismic Zone does something unusual. It's just another reminder that southern Missouri is a part of one of the most active (and sometimes strange) seismic regions in the country.