Note: This message is displayed if (1) your browser is not
standards-compliant or (2) you have you disabled CSS. Read our
Policies for more information. An earthquake is the result of a
sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates
seismic waves. Earthquakes are caused mostly by the rupture of
geological faults. Two major fault systems are located in or
adjacent to Indiana; the New Madrid Seismic Zone and the Wabash
Valley Seismic Zone. Sections of these fault systems are located
in or near southwestern Indiana. The U.S. Geological Survey
(USGS) estimates there is a 7 to 10 percent chance, in the next
50 years, of a repeat of a major earthquake like those that
occurred in 1811-1812, which likely had magnitudes of between
7.5 and 8.0. There is a 25 to 40 percent chance, in a 50-year
time span, of a magnitude 6.0 or greater earthquake. In a report
filed in November 2008, the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) warned that a serious earthquake in the New Madrid
Seismic Zone could result in "t