Today in Earthquake History

Today's Earthquake Fact:
An earthquake is caused by the shaking of the ground due to an abrupt shift of rock along a fracture in the Earth, called a fault. Within seconds, an earthquake releases stress that has slowly accumulated within the rock, sometimes over hundreds of years. Most earthquakes are caused by slow movements deep in the Earth that push against the Earth's brittle, relatively thin outer layer, causing the rocks to break suddenly.

Year at a Glance

January

Note: All earthquake dates are UTC, not local time.

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Year	Location	Magnitude	Comment

1843	Marked Tree, Arkansas	6.3	A strong earthquake in the New Madrid area. This earthquake was the strongest to occur in the region since the 1811-12 sequence. Damage was severe at Memphis, Tennessee, where walls cracked, windows broke, and one building collapsed. The earth sank in places near New Madrid, Missouri, and unconfirmed reports state that a lake was formed and several hunters were drowned.

1953	Near Islands, Alaska	7.1	One of the Largest Earthquakes in the United States

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