When you hear the word earthquake, you think of California for sure and even some of those crazy videos of earthquakes in Japan, but could an earthquake happen in Arkansas?

Earthquakes are not something you hear of much in our area. There have been a few in Oklahoma making it one of the most active areas in the country. Now if you haven't seen the effects of an earthquake check out this video of the last earthquake in California in December of 2021.

Not to be outdone Japan has seen its fair share of major earthquakes as well. Here is a video of the March 16 2022 6.5 and 7.3 magnitude earthquake.

Did you know that Arkansas sits on the New Madrid Fault line? A story on 4029tv.com had this to say about the New Madrid Fault Line:

The New Madrid Fault Line runs from the tip of Mississippi up into southern Illinois along the Mississippi River. The last major earthquakes along the fault happened in December 1811 and in 1812, but University of Arkansas professor Gregory Dumond said scientists can't predict when the next one will happen. "We can give you a percent chance of it maybe happening, but that's about it," he said in a 2019 interview.

You can see how the New Madrid Fault Line and its position in Arkansas.

Qronos16 YouTube
Qronos16 YouTube
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To give you an idea about the possible magnitude of these earthquakes, they were in the 7 to 8 magnitude which is pretty substantial and would be very destructive in Arkansas since they do not build their structures with any thought of possible earthquakes.

So is an earthquake possible in Arkansas? The answer is yes, according to the Arkansas government website. The chance of a 6.0 magnitude earthquake happening in the next 50 years along the New Madrid fault line is between 28 and 46 percent.

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