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The enigmatic earthquake hotspot in America’s heartland - C C - Jul 16, 2024
REFERENCES: 1811-1812 New Madrid earthquakes ..... New Madrid seismic zone ..... Oklahoma earthquake swarms
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The enigmatic earthquake hotspot in America’s heartland
https://undark.org/2024/07/15/enigmatic-earthquake-hotspot-america-heartland/
EXCERPT: The U.S. Geological Survey released a report in December 2023 detailing the risk of dangerous earthquakes around the country. As expected on the hazard map, deep red risk lines run through California and Alaska. But the map also sports a big bull’s eye in the middle of the country — right over New Madrid, Missouri.
The USGS estimates that the region has a 25 to 40 percent chance of a magnitude 6.0 or higher earthquake in the next 50 years, and as much as a 10 percent chance of a repeat of the 1811-1812 sequence. While the risk is much lower compared to, say, California, experts say that when it comes to earthquake resistance, the New Madrid region suffers from inadequate building codes and infrastructure.
Caught in this seismic splash zone are millions of people living across five states — mostly in Tennessee and Missouri, as well as Kentucky, Illinois, and Arkansas — including two major cities, Memphis and St. Louis. Mississippi, Alabama, and Indiana have also been noted as places of concern.
In response to the potential for calamity, geologists have learned a lot about this odd earthquake hotspot over the last few decades. Yet one mystery has persisted: why earthquakes even happen here in the first place.
This is a problem, experts say. Without a clear mechanism for why New Madrid experiences earthquakes, scientists are still struggling to answer some of the most basic questions, like when — or even if — another large earthquake will strike the region. In Missouri today, earthquakes are “not as front of mind” as other natural disasters, said Jeff Briggs, earthquake program manager for the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency.
But when the next big shake comes, “it’s going to be the biggest natural disaster this state has ever experienced.” (MORE - missing details)