Primary document
Personal Accounts from the 1811–1812 New Madrid Earthquakes
U.S. Geological Survey
Where this source supports the record
Each entry separates the article’s editorial relevance note from its exact, section-level claims. A bibliography link without a direct claim is labeled plainly.
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Natural disasters · 16 December 1811–7 February 1812Open article references →
The 1811–1812 New Madrid Earthquakes
New Madrid seismic zone and Mississippi River landscape · United States
Why editors use it hereCurated eyewitness accounts and geographic context used to reconstruct the pre-instrumental sequence.
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Quick read
From 16 December 1811 through 7 February 1812, three principal earthquakes and a powerful aftershock sequence transformed parts of the central Mississippi Valley.
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Trigger and conditions
At about 2:15 a.m.
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Uncertainty
There were no seismographs, and magnitude values are modern estimates derived from felt reports and geological evidence.
Reviewed 26 July 2026 -
Why it matters
New Madrid challenges the comforting idea that American earthquake risk belongs only to the West Coast.
Reviewed 26 July 2026
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Quick read