Mississippi records fifth earthquake of 2020

Mississippi’s fifth earthquake of 2020 occurred Monday morning in Quitman County.

Seismologists recorded the quake, which measured a mild 2.0 on the Richter scale, at 5:27 a.m. Monday. Its epicenter was 17 miles northeast of Clarksdale, Mississippi, near Darling, and was 6 miles deep, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Five earthquakes are the most recorded in Mississippi in a single year. It is also the third earthquake in Mississippi in the past 30 days or so.

At magnitude 2.0, it’s unlikely that the quake was felt at all. Several quakes along the New Madrid fault line occur each year, but the last one that caused damage occurred more than 200 years ago, in 1811. Most earthquake experts agree that the fault is dormant; however, some believe it is due for a major event.