What are the differences between earthquakes at plate boundaries and those in the middle of continents?
The only significant differences between earthquakes on plate boundaries and those in the middle of plates is that the ones in the middle of plates tend not to be as big nor are they as frequent. This doesn’t mean that they are not dangerous nor that they can’t be powerful. The most destructive earthquake to ever hit the United States stuck on 16 December 1811 along the New Madrid fault in Missouri. This was the first of three magnitude 8 quakes that struck that region that winter. However, it will probably be thousands of years before enough energy is stored up by the fault to create another such quake. The problem with these quakes is that people don’t generally think of these regions as being prone to quakes. So, the buildings are not built to with stand them. So, when one of these very infrequent quakes does happen, even if it is not as powerful, it is prone to do more damage. This is not meant to scare. As I wrote the frequency of significant quake in plate interiors is much less.
