Beginning in February 1989 , climatologist Iben Browning – who claimed to have predicted the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens and the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake – predicted that there was a 50 percent probability of a magnitude 6.5 to 7.5 earthquake in the New Madrid area sometime between December 1 and December 5 , 1990 . Browning appears to have based this prediction on particularly strong tidal forces being expected during that time frame and his opinion that a New Madrid earthquake was " overdue " ; however , seismologists generally agree that there is no correlation between tides and earthquakes . The United States Geological Survey requested an evaluation of the prediction by an advisory board of earth scientists , who concluded that " the prediction does not have scientific validity . " Despite the lack of scientific support , Browning 's prediction was widely reported in international media , causing public alarm . The period passed with no major earthquake activity in New Madrid or along the fault line
1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
New Madrid Seismic Zone