AGS / Geohazards / Earthquakes / Main

Magnitude: <= 1.9   2.0 - 2.9   3.0 - 3.9   4.0 - 4.9   5.0 - 5.9   6.0 - 6.9   >= 7.0

Reference: United States Geological Survey

Disclaimer: This earthquake list was compiled at the Arkansas Geological Survey (AGS), but no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by the AGS regarding the accuracy of this information and location of earthquake epicenters, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. The AGS does not guarantee this information to be free of errors and is not liable for interpretations generated from this data or decisions based thereof. Data users are cautioned to consider carefully the provisional nature of the information before using it for decisions that concern personal or public safety or the conduct of business that involves substantial monetary or operational consequences.

Download 2011 Arkansas Earthquake Spreadsheet

Download Arkansas Earthquake Archive

This earthquake archive list was made from a selection of seismic events that have occurred from 1699 to present in Arkansas. The seismic data have been cited from publications of the Center for Earthquake Research and Information (CERI) at the University of Memphis, the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Saint Louis University, the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the Eastern Section of the Seismological Society of America and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. We extend our appreciation to John David McFarland (Arkansas Geological Survey) for compiling the original earthquake database.

The Natural State has felt its fair share of earthquakes. In 1811-1812 a series of powerful earthquakes measuring over magnitude 7.5 rattled the residents of northeast Arkansas. Cabins collapsed, people were frightened, and the land surface was severely changed by liquefaction. These earthquakes happened in the New Madrid seismic zone (NMSZ), an active fault system that extends from Cairo, Illinois to Marked Tree, Arkansas. The earthquake zone has been active for hundreds of years. What if another series of major earthquakes were to strike this region again? Would your business or family be prepared?


The Arkansas Geological Survey generates seismicity maps based on data provided by the Center for Earthquake Research and Information (CERI) at the University of Memphis, the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Saint Louis University, the United States Geological Survey, and the Arkansas Center for Earthquake Education and Technology Transfer at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock.