Shaking Missouri – Suddenly 42 New Madrid Fault Quakes in 30 Days

We experience earthquakes all the time in Missouri along the New Madrid Fault Zone and most are never felt. However, there's been a sudden uptick of seismic activity in southern Missouri with over 42 New Madrid quakes being recorded in just the past 30 days. What's going on?

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It was only a few weeks ago when I shared information about a sudden swarm of mini-quakes along the New Madrid Fault in Missouri begging the question of what's going on. Now, there's been another swarm which makes the quakes recorded by the USGS over the past month staggering.

Unlike most New Madrid Fault quakes in Missouri, many have been reported felt by residents near the epicenter.

To be clear, none of the more than 42 quakes along the New Madrid Fault in Missouri have been damaging. Not at all. The largest only registered a 2.6 on the Richter Scale. But, scientists tell us constantly that the New Madrid is capable of unleashing a quake of at least a 7.7 magnitude at some point in the future. Some believe it's overdue.

Is it possible that the past 30 days is indicative of something bigger to come? There's no way to know for sure as earthquake prediction is not yet possible. But, it's good to watch these smaller quakes and be aware of safety plans if/when we someday get a worst-case scenario. Hopefully it remains in the realm of sci-fi movies and not a reality we have to deal with.

You can check the latest earthquakes on the USGS shake page for yourself if you're curious what the ground beneath us is up to.