Odd Missouri New Year’s Eve Quake in Mark Twain National Forest?

It would appear that the New Madrid Fault has decided to end 2024 with an odd quake in the middle of Missouri's Mark Twain National Forest according to the USGS.

As I was checking out the USGS earthquake site today, I noticed a tiny quake in the Missouri bootheel which is no big deal as those happen all the time. What I did not expect to see is a more significant quake to the southwest of the St. Louis area in the middle of the Mark Twain National Forest.

This 2.1 magnitude quake happened at 3:03am on December 31, 2024 and has been reviewed and confirmed by a USGS seismologist. No one reported feeling it because it happened in the middle of the night and also the middle of nowhere where few people are unless they're camping.

Let's state the obvious and say a 2.1 earthquake is not a big deal and wouldn't do damage even if it happened in the middle of St. Louis or Kansas City. It's the location of the quake which is curious. When was the last time Caledonia, Missouri was near an epicenter of an earthquake? I can't remember that happening even once.

Leave it to the New Madrid Fault to end 2024 in a strange way. It's the most seismically-active place in America that always keeps us guessing. Let's hope this is all the celebration it has planned for the end of this year and the start of a new one.