PEMISCOT COUNTY, Mo. (KFVS) – A strong earthquake in southeast Missouri on Thursday is giving experts a closer look at activity along the New Madrid fault line.
“It’s the strongest earthquake we’ve had in several years in the New Madrid zone proper,” said Nathan Moran, a research scientist with the Center for Earthquake Research and Information at the University of Memphis.
The 4.0 earthquake that hit Pemiscot County on Thursday was felt across several states.
“It was even felt here in Memphis. But the system usually does not have earthquakes of this magnitude too often,” Moran said.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, there have been 20 earthquakes in the New Madrid Seismic Zone in just the last three weeks.
Moran said the most recent activity along the fault is common, but not too common.
“The level of stress in the seismic zone may be enough to rattle off an earthquake every once in a while. And we have small ones, twos, and threes all the time. And occasionally you’ll get something a little bit stronger, and this is one of those occasions,” Moran said.
Moran said Thursday’s tremor happened in their seismic network. He said with the data they’ve harvested, they have a much better understanding of the zone.
“We’ve had earthquakes on the periphery. We have earthquakes in other places where our instruments feel them. But to have an earthquake of that magnitude within the system, within all our instrumentation is something that we can use to harvest that data for a better understanding of the seismic zone,” Moran said.
As for whether this signals something bigger, Moran said the risk remains low.
But he said the earthquake should serve as a reminder that the heartland is located on an active seismic zone.
“Just prepare in case we have something stronger, which, your normal emergency preparations for any occasion,” Moran said.
Moran said an aftershock survey is currently being conducted, and the region may feel small aftershock sequences over the next week.
Copyright 2026 KFVS. All rights reserved.