BOONEVILLE, Miss. (WJTV) – The third earthquake of the year for Mississippi occurred Wednesday night around 6:30 PM. The weak, Magnitude 2.3 quake occurred in Prentiss County, just east of Booneville.
Storm Team 12 Meteorologist Jacob Lanier says earthquakes are rare in the Magnolia State, but they can happen. This is because we are on the southern edge of the New Madrid Seismic Zone. There have been three earthquakes this year in Mississippi:
– January 8th, Hollandale, Magnitude 3.7
– August 9th, Canton, Magnitude 2.8
– November 20th, Booneville, Magnitude 2.3
The New Madrid Fault runs along the Tennessee state line with Arkansas and Missouri. It has historically produced weak earthquakes. But the big one occurred back in 1811-1812 when a Magnitude 7.5 quake was generated north of Memphis. It caused damage as far south as Natchez and McComb.
Though since no other large earthquakes have been generated since the early 19th Century, some scientists argue that the fault zone is “dead” or dormant. Still, others claim that we are due for another big quake soon.
