The
New Madrid Fault Zone is a source of
earthquakes which lies along the
Mississippi River.
The zone is named after the town of
New Madrid,
Missouri, the site of three of the most severe
North American earthquakes in recorded history.
These earthquakes, which occurred in late
1811 and early
1812, were quite strong, causing changes in the course of the Mississippi and were reported to have been felt as far away as
Boston, Massachusetts.
The last major earthquake to occur in this region occurred in Charleston, Missouri, in 1895, and is estimated to have had a magnitude of 6.7 on the Richter Scale.
External Link:
- http://wwwneic.cr.usgs.gov/neis/new_madrid/new_madrid.html