WREX.com – Rockford’s News LeaderSmall quakes along New Madrid fault not uncommon
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Associated Press - December 22, 2009 2:24 PM ET
ST. LOUIS (AP) - The New Madrid fault line is rumbling again. And while an earthquake expert says the recent series of small quakes isn't unusual, it is a reminder of what the active fault is capable of.
The U.S. Geological Survey says four small quakes have been centered in southeast Missouri in the past week. The largest was a magnitude 3.1 quake on Friday that was felt in parts of Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky.
Robert Hermann of the Earthquake Center at Saint Louis University says a quake large enough to be felt happens about once a month in the region and smaller quakes happen almost daily.
The fault line is best known for some of the most violent earthquakes to ever hit the U.S., a series of 4 in 1811 and 1812. The quakes were estimated at magnitude 7.5 to 8.0, so strong the Mississippi River reportedly flowed backward.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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