M3.7 earthquake hits right into the New Madrid Fault near Manila, Arkansas – Most powerful quake in years

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A shallow M3.7 earthquake has hit in the Red Seismic Zone of the New Madrid Fault, 6km SE of Manila, Arkansas.

This was the most powerful quake the Mid-South has seen in 2-3 years.

As shown in the map below, 7 earthquakes with magnitudes ranging between M1.4 and M3.7 has hit the Danger zone of the New Madrid Zone within the last 5 days.

7 earthquakes hit the Red zone of the New Madrid Fault in the last 5 days
7 earthquakes hit the Red zone of the New Madrid Fault in the last 5 days. via USGS

It first started with 2 earthquakes in New Madrid, Missouri on Oct. 11th:

M 2.1 – 10km N of New Madrid, Missouri
M 1.3 – 10km N of New Madrid, Missouri

These first 2 quakes were followed by 3 others in Missouri and Tennessee on the same day:

M 1.4 – 0km W of Ridgely, Tennessee
M 1.4 – 4km E of Ridgely, Tennessee
M 1.7 – 5km SSW of Lilbourn, Missouri

On October 12th, the ground rattled again in Little Prairie, Missouri just few miles away from New Madrid:

M 1.6 – 13km SW of East Prairie, Missouri

Finally on October 15, 2017, a loud M3.7 earthquake rattled houses and windows in Mid-South. Even though it was small, this was the most powerful quake the Mid-South has seen in 2-3 years. It has been reported more than 870 times on the USGS website.

M3.7 earthquake hits in New Madrid Fault near Manila, Arkansas on October 15 2017
M3.7 earthquake hits in New Madrid Fault near Manila, Arkansas on October 15 2017. via USGS

Here some reports of house shaking, windows rattling and loud booms from different locations around the epicenter:

  • Blytheville – Woke us up
  • Paragould – Light shaking
  • Blytheville Arkansas – No damage.. Was awaken
  • BLYTHEVILLE – It shook hard enough to wake me up. It felt like a train passing by.
  • paragould – Very sudden jolt with maybe a 2 second tapering off
  • Memphis – Weak shaking
  • Blytheville – It woke me up. The headboard hit the wall and the house shook. No apparent damage
  • Burlison – It woke me up and lasted maybe 15 seconds.
  • Henning, TN – Weak shaking
  • Blytheville – It was a quick shudder. It almost felt like the apartments were hit by a vehicle, but with no boom.
  • Keiser, Arkansas – ~ I woke up about 5am and I had let the dogs out and I too went out to smoke my morning cigarette and sitting on the bench and felt the ground kinda of rumble, the ground was vibrating a little. I was very curious like What was that ??? Went back in to watch a movie and at 7 am out the news on and Wow it was confirmed ……… An EarthQuake !!!! ~
  • blytheville arkansas – Awaken by brief shaking. It shook hard and loud enough that I thought someone had hit my house with a car and I ran outside to see. No damage.
  • concord – Light shaking
  • Manila , AR – Vibration felt in the floor for a couple of seconds followed by a bump the felt like a car had hit the house. No Damage at all.
  • Munford – It woke me up.
  • Hot Springs – Slight rumble woke my dogs upon the second floor.. in turn woke me up.. had to flip a brake back on after..
  • Bay arkansas – Shook my chair i was sitting in and something made noise in kitchen maybe glass
  • Osceola – Woke me up and knocked a couple of pictures off the wall. The shaking of the quake was up & down.
  • Millington – One jolt. Not really shaking per say
  • Paragould AR – It woke me up. Rattled doorknob of my room. Maybe 5 seconds of shaking. No damage. My husband felt it in another room.
  • Bartlett, TN – I\’m in Davies Plantation (Bartlett, TN, on the edge of Lakeland, TN). An earthquake woke me from my sleep and scared me around 5:15 a.m. I didn\’t know if it was an earthquake or a bomb – yikes! I wonder if it was felt here because our house backs up to natural gas lines (you can see a big strip of grass, like an airstrip, behind our house). I immediately looked up news and found none, so I was very perplexed. Thank you for this website. God bless you.
  • Millington – Woke up by mild shaking or trembling lasting about 5 seconds.
  • Lepanto, AR – Rumbling followed for two seconds after shelf of pictures were toppled to the floor which scared the dog and woke up our son. Until the news announcement of the earthquake the cat was blamed for knocking down all the pictures. I think the deep digging taking place on Highway 18 outside of Manila near Big Lake is the cause of the tremor. Friday the road crew was unearthing what appeared to be beyond 30 foot digs to drive bridge supports into the bed rock.
  • Paragould, AR – Light shaking
  • Memphis – Very weak shaking
  • Bartlett,TN – Had the window open and a slight breeze was coming through. Just laid back down. My headboard is against the outside wall. All of a sudden I heard and felt a powerful sound. It was really quick. I thought a tree had fallen. Sounded like it just missed the house. I got up to look but everything was just as peaceful as when I laid down. It was definitely a shock factor! I did not notice any damage.
  • Manila ark. – Moderate shaking
  • Bartlett\\\’ TN – I also live in Davies plantation in Bartlett, TN. I definitely felt it and it was unmistakable. It was a sudden\\\’ light jolt followed by a couple of seconds of vibration. I could also hear dishes rattling lightly.
  • Poplar Bluff, MO 63901 – Watching TV sometime after 5am when building shook. First thought: A vehicle or something hit building. Noticed no visible damage. First time knowingly experiencing an earthquake.
  • walcott Arkansas – woke me up from my sleep. sounded like someone slamed a door and stormed through the house. 5 seconds maybe? Never experienced an earthquake before and being woke from sleep, I didn\’t know what it was.
  • Humbolt, tn – door in house shaked
  • Manila – No damage, Mom felt it not me, said it sounded like someone had hit the door loudly. I’m assuming was like a bang.

This M3.7 earthquake in the red zone of the New Madrid Seismic Zone could trigger more, so my advice is to be prepared.

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2 Comments

  1. They’ve been expecting this fault-line to go off for several years. The fault-lines will get so bad that the east will split from the west and the Mississippi River will actually run in the opposite direction for a time. The bridges that cross the Mississippi anywhere near that area will all collapse into the water below (very scary).
    IF I lived anywhere near there I would be packing up and someway, somehow getting to somewhere safer b/c when that happens it will do a ton of damage. The National Geological Association says it’s NOT a matter of if this will happen but when will it happen and it looks like to me it’s starting now and only the LORD knows how long before it will go completely and be too late.

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