Missouri’s 10 Most Powerful New Madrid Earthquakes

Missouri is one of the most seismically-active states in America thanks to the New Madrid Fault along the southern border. Have you ever wondered what the most powerful quakes in history have been? Wonder no more as I have the 10 biggest ever to impact the state.

It's common knowledge that the largest New Madrid Fault earthquakes in history happened in late 1811 and 1812, but I don't think many realize exactly how many major quakes were a part of that event. Here are the 10 most powerful New Madrid Fault quakes which includes one that wasn't a part of that 1811/1812 catastrophe.

The bottom 2 quakes are very interesting to me. The October 31, 1895 6+ magnitude quake was one of the best documented major quakes along the New Madrid Fault not including the 1811/1812 events. The November 9, 1968 earthquake that measured 5.4 on the Richter Scale was felt as far away as Chicago.

The USGS says there's a 25 to 40% chance that we'll see a magnitude 6 or higher quake along the New Madrid Fault in the next 30 years. The chance that a catastrophic quake like the many that struck Missouri in 1811 and 1812 is fortunately much lower, but not impossible. This history is a reminder to be prepared for the future because Missouri could be impacted by a major quake with no warning at all.