[DoughtyOne]

The area that worries me is north-eastern Arkansas. When that New Madrid fault goes, and it's overdue, I don't want to be within three states of there.

I live in California. When we have 7.5 quakes, the damage seems to be mostly local to the epicenter. But when the New Madrid last broke loose, church bells in Boston rang as a result.

Evidently the plate movement involved when the New Madrid fault breaks loose, is massive.

[EternalVigilance]

That's true. The last time it went there were only a few tens of thousands of people living in the affected area...there are millions now.

[John H K]

There's been some solid research by someone with the USGS that reveals the New Madrid quakes weren't quite as large as first thought; got no media pub at all because it wasn't scary and exciting.

They were VERY powerful earthquakes, and would be extremely destructive if they occured today, but they are no longer considered the largest lower 48 quakes known; Tejon Pass in the 1800s in California, and the 1906 San Francisco quakes were more powerful.

Also, the reccurence time on New Madrid quakes of the size of the ones in the early 19th century seems to be very long; 400-1000 years.

The powerful earthquake threat in California, Oregon/Washington, and Utah is still FAR greater than that around New Madrid.