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
1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens
1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens
New Madrid Seismic Zone