(Dixie Drudge) Those of us who live within 200 miles of New Madrid, Missouri know it will eventually happen again. That’s why we are commonly offered earthquake insurance in the middle of the US where no one thinks about earthquakes. After all, we’re not in Kalifornia.
201 years ago today, the last large 7.5 quake hit the New Madrid seismic zone. According to USGS:
“Several destructive shocks occurred on February 7, the last of which equaled or surpassed the magnitude of any previous event. The town of New Madrid was destroyed. At St. Louis, many houses were damaged severely and their chimneys were thrown down. The meizoseismal area was characterized by general ground warping, ejections, fissuring, severe landslides, and caving of stream banks.”
Remember, the central US was sparsley populated back then. Today, such a quake would be an unparalleled disaster.