Today in Earthquake History

Today's Earthquake Fact:
The Hawaiian Islands are the tops of gigantic volcanoes that formed above a hot spot in the Earth's interior. As the volcanoes grew, they were carried away from the hot spot as the Pacific Plate moves northwestward at about 3 1/2 inches per year.

Year at a Glance

January

Note: All earthquake dates are UTC, not local time.

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Year	Location	Magnitude	Comment

1843	Marked Tree, Arkansas	6.3	A strong earthquake in the New Madrid area. This earthquake was the strongest to occur in the region since the 1811-12 sequence. Damage was severe at Memphis, Tennessee, where walls cracked, windows broke, and one building collapsed. The earth sank in places near New Madrid, Missouri, and unconfirmed reports state that a lake was formed and several hunters were drowned.

1953	Near Islands, Alaska	7.1	One of the Largest Earthquakes in the United States

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