A 4.0 magnitude earthquake in southeast Missouri is drawing attention to ongoing activity along the New Madrid Seismic Zone, with shaking felt across multiple states, including parts of Arkansas.
United States Geological Survey reported the quake struck near Cooter, Missouri, just north of the Arkansas state line and about 80 miles from Memphis, Tennessee.
Experts say it is one of the strongest earthquakes recorded in the region in several years. University of Memphis Center for Earthquake Research and Information scientist Nathan Moran noted the event provides valuable data from within the seismic network.
According to officials, there have been 20 earthquakes in the New Madrid Seismic Zone over the past 3 weeks, most of them small. Events of this size are less common but not unusual.
While the risk of a larger quake remains low, experts say the tremor is a reminder that the Mid-South sits on an active fault system.
Residents in the region, including Arkansas, are encouraged to maintain basic emergency preparedness as small aftershocks may continue over the coming days.
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