QuakeIndex

Seismic zone · Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee

Reelfoot scarp and New Madrid seismic zone

not measuredhow fast it slips
last 150 yearssince it last broke the surface
163quakes of M2.5+ within 10 km since 2016

In plain English

It has broken the ground surface within the last 150 years.

The largest earthquake recorded near it was M 7.5 in 1811 (Northeastern Arkansas (New Madrid Seismic Zone)) — about 5,600,000 times the energy of an M3.0, the size people start to feel. It released about 2.7 megatons of TNT.

This week vs. its last ten years

0/100

quiet

0 quakes of M1.5+ within 5 km of the trace in the last 7 days — busier than 0% of weeks since 2016. A normal week: 2–5.

Computed from the USGS catalogue · a description of the past, not a forecast · method

M 7.5 · 1811 · Northeastern Arkansas (New Madrid Seismic Zone) M 7.5 · 1812 · Western Tennessee (New Madrid Seismic Zone) M 7.3 · 1812 · North of New Madrid, Missouri (New Madrid Seismic Zone) M 7.0 · 1811 · Western Tennessee (New Madrid Seismic Zone) M 6.3 · 1811 · Near New Madrid, Missouri (New Madrid Seismic Zone) M 6.3 · 1811 · Near New Madrid, Missouri (New Madrid Seismic Zone)
The Reelfoot scarp and New Madrid seismic zone as mapped at the surface (glowing), with the other mapped faults nearby, 163 of the M2.5+ earthquakes within 10 km of it since 2016 (dots), and the epicentres of the large historic earthquakes recorded near it (rings). Traces: USGS Quaternary Fault and Fold Database. Historic epicentres are estimates.

Every year since 2016

Earthquakes of M2.5+ with an epicentre within 10 km of the mapped trace. Near is not the same as on: some will have slipped on neighbouring faults.

The big ones recorded near it

  1. M 7.5 Northeastern Arkansas (New Madrid Seismic Zone)
    December 16, 1811 · epicentre on the trace
  2. M 7.5 Western Tennessee (New Madrid Seismic Zone)
    February 7, 1812 · epicentre 1 km from the trace
  3. M 7.3 North of New Madrid, Missouri (New Madrid Seismic Zone)
    January 23, 1812 · epicentre on the trace
  4. M 7.0 Western Tennessee (New Madrid Seismic Zone)
    December 16, 1811 · epicentre on the trace
  5. M 6.3 Near New Madrid, Missouri (New Madrid Seismic Zone)
    December 16, 1811 · epicentre on the trace
  6. M 6.3 Near New Madrid, Missouri (New Madrid Seismic Zone)
    December 16, 1811 · epicentre on the trace
  7. M 4.0 1 km WNW of Cooter, Missouri
    April 23, 2026 · epicentre on the trace

Before 1973 from the USGS ComCat historical catalogue (within 25 km; epicentres of old earthquakes are estimates). Since 2016, M4+ within 10 km.

Most recent near it

  1. M 2.6 6 km ENE of Steele, Missouri
    2026-08-04 · 0 km from the trace
  2. M 2.6 8 km NW of Tiptonville, Tennessee
    2026-05-15 · 1 km from the trace
  3. M 4.0 1 km WNW of Cooter, Missouri
    2026-04-23 · 0 km from the trace
  4. M 2.8 3 km NW of Marston, Missouri
    2026-03-02 · 0 km from the trace
  5. M 2.5 12 km WNW of Newbern, Tennessee
    2025-12-30 · 0 km from the trace
  6. M 2.6 1 km NNW of Cooter, Missouri
    2025-12-03 · 0 km from the trace

Neighbouring faults

Fault trace, slip rate and age: USGS Quaternary Fault and Fold Database (public domain), simplified for the web. Earthquakes: USGS ComCat. QuakeIndex does not forecast earthquakes; a fault's history describes the past. For early warning use ShakeAlert.