New Madrid Earthquakes

From December 16th, 1811 to February 7th 1812, the area where the boot heel of Missouri meets Tennessee and Kentucky were devastated by over 2,000 earthquakes. The initial quakes were so strong they rang church bells in Boston and woke President Madison and his wife Dolly from their sleep in Washington, D.C.  Lakes drained, steaming hot sulphur geysers blew up from the ground and the Mississippi River ran backwards.  This often overlooked seismic area is still active today.