New Madrid Seismic Zone
25
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10
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Search complete. 25 mentions across 10 episodes found for "New Madrid Seismic Zone".
Oct 1, 2026
Bill HanebergGUEST
So I think there are very few places of our size where you have three of these career contribution award winners.
Bill HanebergGUEST
Another one is the seismic network, which came out of the new Madrid issues, and especially going back to, what, in the 1990 or so to the days of Ibn Browning and his ridiculous predictions that were shutting down schools.
Bill HanebergGUEST
And that, I think, for all the harm it caused, it may have been good because it focused attention on New Madrid.
Bill HanebergGUEST
And we started thinking, OK, maybe earthquakes aren't in California and maybe in some ways we're actually at higher risk because in California they know they're going to have earthquakes and they prepare for them, whereas in the Midwest we didn't.
Bill HanebergGUEST
But if you look around, we are really one of the few geological surveys that maintains a seismic network.
Robert McKayGUEST
You want to make sure that that kind of event does not occur.
Robert McKayGUEST
And you can, you can hold off a, uh, further, uh, exacerbating a disaster by more people, uh, getting injured or dying, uh, from the effects of, uh, after effects of the initial strike of a disaster, whether it's a storm, earthquake, uh, Currently, Chicago is in line of the New Madrid Fault.
Robert McKayGUEST
That's a great fault down in New Madrid, Missouri.
Robert McKayGUEST
The last time it erupted was in the 1800s, but they said it was so vast, the people in Washington, D.C. felt that earthquake.
Michael MonksHOST
It's not a topic of conversation like it is here because we have consistent rattling.
Michael MonksHOST
But there is an occasional discussion about the fact that underneath this ground, like the New Madrid, which I think is the one that's closer to Missouri, Kentucky, Ohio, and those areas.
Michael MonksHOST
Yeah, it could happen.
Michael MonksHOST
And it would be bad.
Gary ArndtHOST
Rules and restrictions may apply.
Gary ArndtHOST
[upbeat music] The New Madrid Seismic Zone, otherwise known as the NMSZ, is located in the Midwest and Southern United States, covering territory in northeastern Arkansas, southeastern Missouri, western Kentucky and Tennessee, and southern Illinois.
Gary ArndtHOST
The zone is the most active seismic area east of the Rocky Mountains and could affect major cities such as St. Louis, Little Rock, and Memphis.
Gary ArndtHOST
What makes the New Madrid Seismic Zone unique is that it is an intraplate earthquake zone.
Gary ArndtHOST
This means earthquakes occur within the interior of a tectonic plate.
Gary ArndtHOST
These are relatively rare since most earthquakes occur at tectonic plate boundaries, such as the Ring of Fire around the Pacific Ocean.
Gary ArndtHOST
Intraplate rifts tend to occur in weak parts of the Earth's crust that were once active tectonic zones.
Gary ArndtHOST
Because of their prior state, these areas are weaker than the surrounding rock, leading to eventual slippage.
Bill CourtneyHOST
The worst fault in the continent of the United States runs right under Memphis.
Bill CourtneyHOST
It's the new Madrid fault.
Bill CourtneyHOST
You said it.
Bill CourtneyHOST
So, you know, well in 19 something, the last time the new Madrid really had an opening, it was a massive earthquake.
Bill CourtneyHOST
And, um, north of here about an hour is a lake called Real Foot Lake.
Bill CourtneyHOST
It's a big oxbow lake.
Bill CourtneyHOST
That's how big.
Bill CourtneyHOST
The Mississippi, the largest river, it flew, it flowed north, backfilling that massive crater created by this earthquake.
Bill CourtneyHOST
The worst fault in the continent of the United States runs right under Memphis.
Bill CourtneyHOST
It's the New Madrid Fault.
Bill CourtneyHOST
Exactly.
Bill CourtneyHOST
You said it, so you know it.
Bill CourtneyHOST
It opened up such a big crevice in the ground that the Mississippi River flowed backwards for 24 hours, backfilling it.
Bill CourtneyHOST
That's how big the Mississippi, the largest river, it flew, it flowed north, backfilling that massive crater created by this earthquake.
Bill CourtneyHOST
The New Madrid Fault is no joke.
AlexHOST
1812.
David Nikao WilcoxsonGUEST
And, um, And it could
Jon PoundersHOST
be, it could be another real earthquake too, at the same time, because like we're, we're, uh, they're talking about the new, what is it? New Madrid.
Jon PoundersHOST
Yeah.
Jon PoundersHOST
The new Madrid fault line.
Jon PoundersHOST
And like, you know, have you seen the maps they've been drawing of what, you know, supposedly the United States will look like after, I mean, my goodness, that's, that could be possible too.
Jon PoundersHOST
I mean, I think, cause I think God, even for the simple minds, he's like, okay, I'm gonna throw this in there too.
David Nikao WilcoxsonGUEST
And it's the frequency of an earthquake.
David Nikao WilcoxsonGUEST
So in other words, it's such a low, powerful frequency that they can beam that into a spot and they can cause the foundation to vibrate.
Todd StarnesHOST
Oh, here we go, and it gets worse.
Todd StarnesHOST
Mr. Reeves says the New Madrid Fault could open and swallow half the city.
Todd StarnesHOST
The sky could crack open and angels descend from heaven.
Todd StarnesHOST
If the Memphis City Council doesn't vote for the data center moratorium within three weeks, they are all Elon's house inwards.
Cal NessHOST
It's...
Cal NessHOST
I think it was the San Madrid, um-
Joey VassalloHOST
Fault line?
Cal NessHOST
Yeah, fault line earthquakes that happened.
Jamie WaldenGUEST
There was earthquakes in Oregon yesterday.
Jamie WaldenGUEST
There was earthquakes in the New Madrid fault line.
Jamie WaldenGUEST
There is the earthquakes all over Japan and Indonesia and everything.
Jamie WaldenGUEST
I mean, there is super storms going on.