Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

1811-1812 New Madrid, Missouri Earthquakes Completed

By Earthquake Hazards Program October 2, 2019

Details about the New Madrid, Missouri Earthquakes.

Map of earthquakes in New Madrid/Wabash Valley
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.
This map shows earthquakes (circles) of the New Madrid and Wabash Valley seismic zones (orange patches). Red circles indicate earthquakes that occurred from 1974 to 2002 with magnitudes larger than 2.5 located using modern instruments (University of Memphis). Green circles denote earthquakes that occurred prior to 1974 (USGS Professional Paper 1527). Larger earthquakes are represented by larger circles. (Public domain.)

The 1811-1812 New Madrid sequence consisted of three large earthquakes:

  1. M~7.5 on December 16, 1811
  2. M~7.3 on January 23, 1812
  3. M~7.5 on February 7, 1812

The first earthquake was followed by 6 aftershocks in the range M5.5-6.3 in the first 2 days. Hundreds of aftershocks were felt in 1813.

The geologic record of pre-1811 earthquakes reveals that the New Madrid seismic zone has repeatedly produced sequences of major earthquakes, including several of magnitude 7 to 8, over the past 4,500 years.

Eyewitness Accounts

1811-1812 New Madrid Earthquakes Isoseismal Map
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.
Isoseismal map for the Arkansas earthquake of December 16,1811, 08:15 UTC(first of the 1811-1812 New Madrid series).

Below are other science projects associated with this project.

link
New Madrid Earthquakes - landslide trench

1811-1812 New Madrid Earthquakes Overview from Otto W. Nuttli (1974)

By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program
link

1811-1812 New Madrid Earthquakes Overview from Otto W. Nuttli (1974)

Learn More
link
Map of the New Madrid Seismic Zone

Summary of 1811-1812 New Madrid Earthquakes Sequence

By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program
link

Summary of 1811-1812 New Madrid Earthquakes Sequence

Learn More
link
Map of earthquakes in New Madrid/Wabash Valley

The New Madrid Seismic Zone

  

link

The New Madrid Seismic Zone

  

Learn More
link
New Madrid seismic zone

Geologic Cracks Record Earthquakes on the Reelfoot Fault in Central U.S.

Release Date: APRIL 25, 2019 New high-resolution lidar data reveals cracks produced from strong shaking in past earthquakes in the New Madrid seismic zone.
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program
link

Geologic Cracks Record Earthquakes on the Reelfoot Fault in Central U.S.

Release Date: APRIL 25, 2019 New high-resolution lidar data reveals cracks produced from strong shaking in past earthquakes in the New Madrid seismic zone.
Learn More

Below are multimedia items associated with this project.

New Madrid Earthquakes - linear blows link
1811-1812 New Madrid Earthquakes Photos

Below are publications associated with this project.

Four major Holocene earthquakes on the Reelfoot fault recorded by sackungen in the New Madrid seismic zone, USA

Three sequences of well-documented, major ~M7+ earthquakes (1811-1812 CE, ~1450 CE, and ~900 CE) in the New Madrid seismic zone, USA, contribute significantly to seismic hazard in the region. However, it is unknown whether this
Authors
Ryan D. Gold, Christopher DuRoss, Jaime E. Delano, Randall W. Jibson, Richard W. Briggs, Shannon A. Mahan, Robert Williams, D. Reide Corbett
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Increasing seismicity in the U. S. midcontinent: Implications for earthquake hazard

Earthquake activity in parts of the central United States has increased dramatically in recent years. The space-time distribution of the increased seismicity, as well as numerous published case studies, indicates that the increase is of anthropogenic origin, principally driven by injection of wastewater coproduced with oil and gas from tight formations. Enhanced oil recovery and long-term producti
Authors
William L. Ellsworth, Andrea L. Llenos, Arthur F. McGarr, Andrew J. Michael, Justin L. Rubinstein, Charles S. Mueller, Mark D. Petersen, Eric Calais
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Earthquake Science Center

20 cool facts about the New Madrid Seismic Zone-Commemorating the bicentennial of the New Madrid earthquake sequence, December 1811-February 1812 [poster]

This poster summarizes a few of the more significant facts about the series of large earthquakes that struck the New Madrid seismic zone of southeastern Missouri, northeastern Arkansas, and adjacent parts of Tennessee and Kentucky from December 1811 to February 1812. Three earthquakes in this sequence had a magnitude (M) of 7.0 or greater. The first earthquake occurred on December 16, 1811, at 2:1
Authors
R. A. Williams, N.S. McCallister, R. L. Dart
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Putting down roots in earthquake country: Your handbook for earthquakes in the Central United States

This handbook provides information to residents of the Central United States about the threat of earthquakes in that area, particularly along the New Madrid seismic zone, and explains how to prepare for, survive, and recover from such events. It explains the need for concern about earthquakes for those residents and describes what one can expect during and after an earthquake. Much is known about
Authors
Richard Contributors: Dart, Jill McCarthy, Natasha McCallister, Robert A. Williams
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Bicentennial of the 1811–1812 New Madrid earthquake sequence, December 2011–2012

A series of earthquakes hit the New Madrid seismic zone of southeastern Missouri, northeastern Arkansas, and adjacent parts of Tennessee and Kentucky, in December 1811 to February 1812. Three earthquakes had a magnitude of 7.0 or greater. The first earthquake occurred December 16, 1811, at 2:15 a.m.; the second 9 a.m. on January 23, 1812; and the third on February 7, 1812, at 3:45 a.m. These three
Authors
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Earthquake hazard in the New Madrid Seismic Zone remains a concern

There is broad agreement in the scientific community that a continuing concern exists for a major destructive earthquake in the New Madrid seismic zone. Many structures in Memphis, Tenn., St. Louis, Mo., and other communities in the central Mississippi River Valley region are vulnerable and at risk from severe ground shaking. This assessment is based on decades of research on New Madrid earthquake
Authors
A. D. Frankel, D. Applegate, M. P. Tuttle, R. A. Williams
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Scientific overview and historical context of the 1811-1812 new Madrid earthquake sequence

The central and eastern United States has experienced only 5 historic earthquakes with Mw 7.0, four during the New Madrid sequence of 1811-1812: three principal mainshocks and the so-called «dawn aftershock» following the first mainshock. Much of the historic earthquake research done in the United States has focused on the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ), because the largest New Madrid earthquakes
Authors
S. E. Hough

Earthquake Hazard in the Heart of the Homeland

No abstract available.
Authors