Episode 1 of 2
Initial Earthquake and Aftershock
- When
- 16 December 1811
- Where
- New Madrid, Missouri
A major earthquake struck on December 16, 1811, followed by a strong aftershock the same day, causing widespread alarm.
The initial shock occurred at 02:15 am local time with an estimated magnitude of 7.2–8.2. A magnitude 7.4 aftershock followed at 07:15 am local time. Contemporary accounts describe violent shaking, falling trees, and structural damage in the epicentral area.
Sources
- 1811–1812 New Madrid earthquakes Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-30
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.