And not the musical variety, either. MSNBC is reporting a minor earthquake in Arkansas.
The temblor, preliminarily put at magnitude 4.1, shook eastern Arkansas and western Tennessee early in the morning. It was centered 47 miles (75 kilometers) north-northwest of Memphis.Ok, you say So what, who cares? If you are a geologist or an American historian, you already know why this event is causing a stir. This seismic area is known as New Madrid.
The infamous series of three New Madrid quakes in 1811-1812 occurred a few weeks apart, from Dec. 16 to Feb. 7. They measured 8.1, 8.0 and 7.8 and represent three of the four strongest earthquakes ever recorded in the lower 48.A harbinger of things to come? You can learn more about New Madrid and seismic activity in this area of the US at the Arkansas Center for Earthquake Education and Technology Transfer web site at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock.
