The Earthquake That Made The Mississippi Run Backwards

In the winter of 1811, the ground beneath the American heartland tore itself apart. For weeks, the Mississippi River behaved in ways no one had ever recorded — flowing north instead of south, swallowing entire islands, and rearranging the map of the young United States. This is the story of the New Madrid earthquakes, the largest quakes ever recorded east of the Rocky Mountains, and the fault that could do it all again — right underneath Memphis, St. Louis, and Little Rock. This is not the San Andreas. This is not California. This is the disaster most Americans were never taught in school — and geologists say the clock is ticking on the sequel. CHAPTERS 00:00 The Night The River Ran Backwards 01:45 What Was Actually Happening Beneath The Ground 04:30 How A Lake Appeared In A Single Night (Reelfoot) 07:15 Why Church Bells Rang In Boston, 1,000 Miles Away 10:40 The Fault They Still Don't Fully Understand 13:20 What Happens When It Ruptures Again SOURCES & FURTHER READING United States Geological Survey (USGS) — New Madrid Seismic Zone reports Central United States Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC) Missouri Department of Natural Resources — 1811-1812 earthquake archives University of Memphis Center for Earthquake Research and Information (CERI) HASHTAGS (end of description)