Intra-plate faults like the New Madrid fault are caused by ancient crustal weaknesses
the verdict
SUPPORTED
the evidence backs this
confidence 88/100
Intraplate faults and earthquakes, such as those in the New Madrid seismic zone, are widely supported by geological and seismological evidence to be driven by the reactivation of ancient crustal weaknesses and inherited tectonic structures under far-field stresses.
Evidence for · 8
Lithospheric strength and intraplate seismicity in the New Madrid seismic zone
1997 · cited by 142
Paper 0 notes that lower crust and upper mantle weakness allows plate-driving forces to deform intraplate areas like the New Madrid seismic zone.
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More for · 7
Tectonic stress within the New Madrid seismic zone
1996 · cited by 54
Paper 1 demonstrates that localized stresses from ancient rift pillows play a continuing role in the modern deformation of the New Madrid seismic zone.
Reactivation of ancient rift systems triggers devastating intraplate earthquakes
2009 · cited by 46
Paper 2 finds that aftershocks of intraplate earthquakes align with pre-existing weaknesses associated with buried rift systems.
Lithospheric velocity structure of the New Madrid Seismic Zone: A joint teleseismic and local P tomographic study
2009 · cited by 24
Paper 3 links the enigmatic seismicity of the New Madrid Seismic Zone to a lithospheric weak zone near rheological boundaries.
Lasting mantle scars lead to perennial plate tectonics.
2016 · cited by 2
Paper 6 establishes through numerical experiments that structures frozen into the lithosphere from past plate tectonics act as reactivated weak zones.
Intraplate seismicity in southwestern Norway: Enhanced catalogue highlights diffusive earthquake occurrence linked to inherited weakness zones
2025 · cited by 1
Paper 7 shows that intraplate seismicity in Norway is localized around major pre-existing crustal shear zones.
Morphometric Evidence for Cenozoic Intraplate Reactivation in NW Uruguay
2025 · cited by 1
Paper 8 demonstrates that recent intraplate deformation in Uruguay is localized by the reactivation of ancient basement fault zones.
Ancient Crustal Weaknesses Contribute to Modern Earthquakes in West Africa
2024 · cited by 0
Paper 11 explicitly highlights how ancient crustal weaknesses contribute to modern earthquakes in the interior of the continent.