March 24, 1976

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake was recorded in Poinsett County. This earthquake was felt over an area of 174,000 square miles. Damage included power outages and downed telephone lines in Jonesboro (Craighead County), broken windows in Paragould (Greene County), cracked plaster in Marked Tree (Poinsett County), and roof damage and fallen ceiling tile in Decatur (Benton County). Although significant damage has not been reported in the area in recent years, the New Madrid seismic zone is potentially capable of generating powerful earthquakes.