"ST. LOUIS — Experts have warned for decades that a large swath of the central U.S. is at high risk for a devastating earthquake. They know that overcoming complacency is among their biggest hurdles.
Hundreds of emergency managers, transportation leaders, geologists and others devoted to earthquake preparedness gathered Thursday in St. Louis for the annual Missouri Earthquake Summit to discuss the latest information on risks, preparedness strategies and recovery planning."
"people within the region have heard warnings for so long about the next Big One that, for many, it goes in one ear and out the other.
“Because it hasn’t happened, and with people’s busy everyday lives, it kind of falls into the background,” said Robbie Myers, emergency management director for Butler County, Missouri, in the heart of the New Madrid zone.
The earthquake threat received the most attention more than three decades ago when climatologist Iben Browning predicted a 50-50 chance of a big earthquake on a specific day — Dec. 3, 1990. His prediction drew scores of journalists and onlookers to New Madrid to see — nothing.
Still, experts believe there is a 7-10% chance of a magnitude 7.0 or greater earthquake in the next 50 years within the New Madrid zone, and a 25-40% chance of a smaller but still potentially devastating magnitude 6.0 quake."
https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/local/experts-say-central-us-needs-ready-next-earthquake/63-1e6ae5a4-4ade-4e8d-a7a8-8307c669f66b
"All the while this region is home to 15 nuclear reactors. As if that’s not enough, there’s also a little known factor that will really make your hair stand on end.
The fault zone is criss-crossed with major gas and oil pipelines delivering these volatile energy sources all over the United States."
"An earthquake in the middle of the country, along the precarious New Madrid fault, could have enormous fiscal and energy consequences. Virtually every natural gas pipeline in the nation is built over that fault. You’ll see the explosion reflected off the moon."
https://strangesounds.org/2021/08/new-madrid-earthquake-pipeline-bomb-usa-map.html