Flurry of earthquakes hit two states as scientists fear a 'Big One' is coming

A swarm of earthquakes hit a massive 150-foot-long fault line in the Midwest that scientists fear is overdue for a mega-quake. Though this week's earthquake swarm is not necessarily a sign that the New Madrid fault is about to produce a larger quake, experts have said people living around it should always be prepared for a major seismic event. A damaging earthquake of magnitude 6 or greater occurs about once every 80 years in the New Madrid Seismic Zone, according to the United States Geological Survey. The 150-mile-long New Madrid Seismic Zone, which stretches through parts of Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky and Illinois, has an up to 40 percent chance of a magnitude 6 or higher quake occurring in the next 50 years At least 11 million Americans live within the danger zone, with the most significant destruction predicted to occur in St Louis and Memphis, an expert previously told DailyMail.com The NMSZ is one of the most active seismic zones east of the Rocky Mountains. Instead, most of the earthquake preparation in the US has focused on California, which experts say is about 80 years overdue for 'The Big One', a massive earthquake along the 800-mile long San Andreas fault.