Magnitude 2.4 earthquake rocks Perryville on a surprising anniversary

It may seem like a typical Monday, but the 2.4 magnitude earthquake that rocked an area about 17 miles south of Perryville fell on a particularly significant date.

Fox 2 Now reports that the earthquake, which happened about 4 p.m., occurred on the same day as when the second of three quakes hit the New Madrid Seismic Zone in 1812.

“The shaking from these quakes was felt 1,000 miles away in Boston, Massachusetts,” the news site wrote.

Officials say the probability of a 6.0 or larger earthquake occurring in the New Madrid seismic zone within any 50 year period is 25 percent to 40 percent, Fox 2 News reports.

The St. Louis County Office of Emergency Management said that an earthquake of that magnitude has the potential cause triple the devastation left behind by Hurricane Katrina.

“St. Louis County is surrounded by three river basins,” Fox 2 Now wrote. “Saturated soil has the potential for liquefaction. The phenomenon is caused by shaking or sudden changes in stress condition, causing it to behave like a liquid. The agency warns that there is only one major roadway in or out over solid ground. There is the possibility, that it could potentially take help three to four days to arrive.”

This story was originally published January 23, 2017 at 9:49 PM with the headline "Magnitude 2.4 earthquake rocks Perryville on a surprising anniversary."