The New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811–12 were three large earthquakes that occurred near New Madrid, Missouri, from December 1811 to February 1812. There were thousands of aftershocks, approximately 1,874 of them were so large that they could be felt as far away as Louisville, Kentucky, nearly 190 miles away. It is not known how many lives were lost during the earthquakes; however, scholars say the number was probably not very large. The region affected by the earthquake had a small population. The main shock came around 2:15 am on December 16, 1811. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay It happened because of movement along the Cottonwood Grove fault in Arkansas. This was then followed by three large aftershocks with magnitudes between 6.0 and 7.0 that occurred over the next 48 hours. Even though the tremors were so strong, only minor damage to man-made structures was reported. Including collapsing chimneys, falling trees and broken beams in houses. Some areas sank, while others were raised. Soil liquefaction caused large sand blows that destroyed farmland in states such as Missouri, Tennessee and Arkansas. Because rocks in the eastern United States have few active faults that interrupt the propagation of seismic waves, ground vibrations resulting from earthquakes generated in the region can travel up to thousands of kilometers. Eyewitnesses noted that the tremors caused church bells to ring as far away as Boston, Massachusetts. , and knocked down chimneys in Cincinnati, Ohio, about 360 miles away. The strongest earthquake that day was a magnitude 7.0 and became known as the “dawn aftershock” at 7:15 am. The second earthquake occurred on January 23 and was the smallest of the three earthquakes. The main shock occurred at 9:15 in the morning, its estimated magnitude was around 7.5. It is not known where the epicenter of the earthquake was located. Its location is believed to have been somewhere around New Madrid, Missouri, along a fault that runs perpendicular to the Reelfoot Fault. No obvious damage to the area was reported; however, changes to the landscape are believed to have occurred, such as those that occurred on December 16. The third earthquake occurred on February 7, 1811. The epicenter of the quake was also located near New Madrid, Missouri. The impact occurred at 3:45 am and caused the destruction of the region known as New Madrid. Structural damage also occurred in St. Louis, Missouri. Several chimneys collapsed due to ground vibrations. The landscape has been damaged in several ways including; the deformation of the ground through lowering and lifting, blows of sand, cracks in the ground, landslides and detachments of the banks of watercourses. Also Lake St. Francis in Arkansas, a body of water formed due to subsidence resulting from previous earthquakes in the New Madrid seismic zone. Barge operators reported that the flow of the Mississippi River was suddenly reversed; however, studies conducted since that time show that the earthquakes produced waves of water moving northward making it appear as if the river had reversed its course. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Customize EssaySo, in conclusion, the New Madrid earthquakes were a series of three large earthquakes that occurred between December 1811 and February 1812 in New Madrid, Missouri. They were once believed to have been the largest earthquakes ever.