From an article dated 11/21/2007;
"According to a report by the US Geological Survey, on the basis of the large area of damage (600,000 square kilometers or about 372,823 square miles), the widespread area of perceptibility (5,000,000 square kilometers or 3,106,856 square miles) and the complex physiographic changes that occured, the Mississippi River valley earthquakes of 1811-1812, otherwise known as the New Madrid, MO earthquakes, rank as some of the largest in US recorded history. "The area of strong shaking associated with these shocks is two to three times larger than that of the 1964 Alaska earthquake and 10 times larger than that of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake," the report noted.
The New Madrid "zone" zigzags northeasterly from Marked Tree, AR to Cairo, IL and is considered the second most active earthquake region in the US. However, seismological experts are not in agreement over whether the long lapse since the last major earthquake in the New Madrid area means that a severe earthquake is overdue, or in the case of a seven year study by researchers at Northwestern University, whether it will happen at all. "
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In another article dated 11/25/07 it was stated;
Figures from the state Department of Insurance show that earthquake coverage was carried on less than 38 percent of the insurance policies for homes, mobile homes and farms last year.
That was down more than 5 percentage points from 2001. The cost of residential earthquake coverage in Missouri rose by 15 percent in that time, according to the department's figures.
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