Weird Shake Reported by Several in Southern Missouri

Stop me if you've heard this before, but something odd happened in southern Missouri Friday as several reported a weird brief jolt and I can confirm they were not imagining this.

The weird, brief shake was reported by a handful of people in southern Missouri around 8:30am Friday morning, August 22, 2025.

After I heard whispers of this, I checked the USGS earthquake page and immediately saw what happened. A seismologist confirmed there was a minor 2.3 earthquake near Caruthersville, Missouri at 8:33am Friday.

Notice that at least 3 people told the USGS on their "Felt Report" that they did feel this minor tremor. While a 2.3 quake isn't nearly large enough to do any damage, it was big enough to be felt. One interesting aspect of this quake was it was centered on the eastern riverbank of the Mississippi River across from downtown Caruthersville.

No matter what you see others claiming, there is no way to know if a major New Madrid earthquake is imminent. Yes, there is a small percentage chance that Missouri will see a greater than 7 magnitude quake from the New Madrid Fault someday, but the more likely scenario is a magnitude 6 quake which, while not being catastrophic, could do major damage to bridges and cities like St. Louis and Memphis. That's why even tiny tremors like the one felt Friday are a reminder to always be quake-aware in Missouri. You never know when that notorious fault will mess up our lives.