New Madrid Fault Labeled a Megaquake Threat Zone

There's a new interesting comparison between the three earthquake faults in America that pose the most risk to the public. Among those, the New Madrid Fault in southern Missouri is ranked as one of the most dangerous among the three due to its unpredictability and the likely impacts to the Midwest if it were to let loose a major quake.

Earthly on YouTube just took a look at the 3 most concerning earthquake faults in America which include the San Andreas Fault in southern California, the Cascadia Subduction Zone in the Pacific Northwest and the New Madrid Fault in southern Missouri.

While the San Andreas Fault is the most active of the three megaquake possibilities and the Cascadia Subduction Zone is capable of the strongest quakes on Earth, it's the New Madrid Fault that is called out as the most dangerous for 3 specific reasons:

• The New Madrid Fault is the most unpredictable with uneven intervals between major quakes
• The New Madrid Seismic Zone has the least prepared populations and structures for a major quake
• A major earthquake in southern Missouri would likely displace the largest number of residents due to how far earthquakes along this plate system travel further than those in the west

Read More: Could Busch Stadium Survive a Major Quake?

The New Madrid Fault could unleash a major earthquake in 100 years, 10 years or tomorrow - it's the unpredictability that makes it the most dangerous

I check the USGS earthquake site daily to monitor what the New Madrid Fault is up to. It's not the expected small quakes in the Missouri boot heel that concern me, but the random 3 magnitude quakes that have started to happen closer to the St. Louis area and southern Illinois that make me wonder if something bigger is brewing. No one can predict earthquakes yet, but there's good reason to be earthquake aware if you live in the Midwest near New Madrid. It's not a question of if, but when.