What Are the Odds of an Earthquake in Minnesota?

Can Minnesota experience earthquakes? Yes. Has Minnesota experienced earthquakes? Yes. Are earthquakes common in Minnesota? No.

The first recorded earthquake in Minnesota history occurred near Long Prairie in Todd County in 1860, with an estimated magnitude of 5.0. That's not to say that earthquakes didn't occur before then, but there were few people and even fewer records kept.

Minnesota has had at least nineteen more earthquakes since that one, but the state has one of the lowest rates of seismic activity in the United States. As you can see below, Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin are not exactly a hotbed of seismic activity.

Get our free mobile app

Minnesota is located in the middle of the North American tectonic plate. The Great Lakes Tectonic Zone, which runs from Big Stone County and Traverse County to Duluth, is one of the state's main fault zones.

Minnesota's Recorded Earthquake History

• 1860: Morris, Minnesota (5.0)
• 1860: New Prague, Minnesota (4.7)
• 1880: St. Vincent, Minnesota (3.6)
• 1881: New Ulm, Minnesota (4.0)
• 1917: Red Lake, Minnesota (3.8)
• 1917: Staples, Minnesota (4.3)
• 1928: Bow String, Minnesota (3.8)
• 1939: Detroit Lakes, Minnesota (3.9)
• 1950: Alexandria, Minnesota (3.6)
• 1964: Pipestone, Minnesota (3.4)
• 1975: Morris, Minnesota (4.8)
• 1979: Milaca, Minnesota (1.0)
• 1979: Evergreen, Minnesota (3.1)
• 1979: Rush City, Minnesota (1.0)
• 1979: Nisswa, Minnesota (1.0)
• 1981: Cottage Grove, Minnesota (3.1)
• 1982: Walker, Minnesota (2.0)
• 1993: Dumont, Minnesota (4.1)
• 1994: Granite Falls, Minnesota (3.1)
• 2011: Brandon, Minnesota (3.1)

So yeah, there can be; and there have been earthquakes in Minnesota, but with none higher than a magnitude of 5.0, most have been barely noticeable (or not noticeable at all).

Go ahead and cross earthquakes off the list of things we need to worry about in Minnesota.