New Madrid Earthquake

The New Madrid Earthquake, the largest earthquake ever recorded in the continental United States, occurred on February 7, 1812. It derived its name from its primary location in the New Madrid Seismic Zone near New Madrid, Missouri. This earthquake was preceded by two other major quakes: one on December 16, 1811, and one on January 23, 1812. These earthquakes destroyed approximately half the town of New Madrid. There were also numerous aftershocks in the area for the rest of that winter. There are estimates that the earthquakes were felt strongly over 50,000 square miles, and moderately across nearly one million square miles. The historic San Francisco earthquake of 1906, by comparison, was felt moderately over 60,000 square miles.

References

• United States Geological Survey (October 15, 2003). "USGS Earthquake Hazards Program: 1811 - 1812 Earthquakes in the New Madrid Seismic Zone". Retrieved 3 May 2005.