Unearthing the Past: Today's Earthquakes Reveal Ancient Tremors

New research suggests that some of the seismic shocks experienced in North America today could be aftershocks of major earthquakes that occurred in the 1800s. The study estimates that up to 30% of seismic shocks in the New Madrid seismic zone between 1980 and 2016 were aftershocks of earthquakes in 1811 and 1812, while a large quake in Charleston in 1886 could explain up to 72% of seismic shocks in the region since. The findings indicate that within geologically stable areas, earthquake aftershocks can continue for decades or even centuries. However, further research is needed to validate this idea.