New Madrid Fault in Missouri Has Become Eerily Quiet in March
Since I'm an earthquake nerd, I keep close tabs on the New Madrid Fault that weaves its way through southern Missouri. Normally, there are small quakes that happen almost constantly, but that's not been the case this month. Activity along the fault zone has become eerily quiet.
If you look at the earthquakes shared by the USGS and the website Earthquake Track, you'll see there's been practically no activity in March of 2023 along the New Madrid Fault Zone. There have been almost no measurable earthquakes for the past week.
This is the map from the USGS showing absolutely no activity.
Keep in mind that it's typical for the New Madrid Fault Zone in Missouri's bootheel to have 30 to 40 quakes per month. At the current rate, there will only be single-digit quakes to measure for March and that's...peculiar.
For comparison sake, there have been over 3,500 measurable New Madrid quakes over the past decade according to the USGS. There were 30 quakes in January of this year, too.
I'm not theorizing that the New Madrid Fault is possibly preparing to unleash a major shake. It is worth remembering though that during last month's Shakeout awareness event experts said that Missouri is not prepared for a major New Madrid quake. Perhaps we should adjust our thinking just in case the lack of activity in March of 2023 is a calm before a storm.
