The U.S. Geological Survey is conducting low-level flights across sections of Missouri, Arkansas and Tennessee this week looking for clues about the New Madrid earthquake fault zone.
The USGS begins conducting the flights Wednesday over a 1,400-square-mile area across southeastern Missouri, northeastern Arkansas and western Tennessee.
Crews will be measuring the magnetic field of the earth and underground rock formations to help locate concealed faults associated with the New Madrid seismic zone.
The USGS says the New Madrid area has been the most seismically active region in the United States east of the Rockies for decades.
The USGS says while there's no evidence of an imminent large earthquake, the agency has serious concerns about the potential repeat of a destructive earthquake like those that occurred in the 1800s.