Sudden Swarm of 7 New Madrid Quakes Near Southern Missouri

If you are interested in earthquake activity in the New Madrid Seismic Zone, you'll likely want to know that there has been a sudden burst of activity in the region with a sudden swarm of 7 different quakes over the span of just 3 days or so.

Let me emphasize again that I don't share New Madrid quake information to cause a panic

I simply find the varied and unpredictable activity in and around the New Madrid Fault to be fascinating. That's why I noticed a cluster of 7 quakes near southern Missouri and the boot heel that have just occurred over the weekend and this morning. The good news is all of these tremors have barely been strong enough to feel. I wouldn't categorize it as bad news or any reason for real concern, but the quakes have been progressively getting stronger. The 3 most recent of the 7 quakes have been a 2.0 magnitude quake followed by a 2.1 and the most recent early Monday morning was a 2.2 tremor.

Let me say again that even a swarm of 7 New Madrid quakes over a short period of time is no reason to worry. We live in one of the most seismically-active regions in America. This is a reason, however, to always be quake-aware and have an emergency plan for when/if the New Madrid Fault ever unleashes a major event. The USGS says there's a reasonable chance that will happen in our lifetime. Being prepared is a prudent thing to do when you have an active fault system like the New Madrid right in your backyard.