Scientists have identified at least two major prehistoric quakes that shook the Reelfoot Lake area during the past 1,000 to 1,200 years. Other earthquakes probably occurred during the past 2,400 years, but they apparently did not cause as much uplift along the Reelfoot Scarp as the two most recent large earthquakes, Guccione said. To help date the earthquakes and associated uplift, Guccione's group also examined a prehistoric archeological site located along the abandoned Mississippi River channel and the Reelfoot Scarp. When native Americans lived there, the village was located on the edge of an oxbow lake. Since the village was abandoned, much of the lake filled in, forming a swamp.
Historic reports confirm that the swamp was drained after it was uplifted by folding.
It's amazing how much a landscape can change over time. The researchers received funding from the U.S. Geological Survey, which since 1990 has intensified its efforts to study the New Madrid Seismic Zone.