Earthquake near Memphis likely in next 50 years

The Mid-America Earthquake Center is saying in a new report that there is a 90 percent chance that an earthquake of magnitude 6 or 7 will strike the New Madrid Seismic Zone in the next 50 years.

The zone runs from southern Illinois to northern Arkansas and includes Memphis, with a population of about 670,900.

The study is grim. A major quake would likely kill about 6,000 and injure many more.

Details of the report include:

• Tennessee and Missouri would suffer the brunt of the destruction from a 7.7-magnitude earthquake along the New Madrid Seismic Zone, where more than 3,000 temblors have occurred since 1974.

• Many buildings in the area couldn’t withstand the force of such an earthquake. While some of the major bridges over the Mississippi and other rivers might hold up, they would still sink into the ground when it liquefied after the tremor.

• Hospitals closest to the epicenter would be unusable, meaning the injured would have to be taken to neighboring states if they could be evacuated.

• Bridges, airports and ferries would be damaged and pipelines and electric transmission grids knocked out. “Damage to major natural gas and oil transmission lines will lead to service interruptions that will affect areas as far away as the East Coast and New England,” the report said.