what would happen if the new madrid fault had an earthquake?
Winter in Madrid
neutral
 A landslide and 36 major aftershocks of more than magnitude 2 @.@ 5 ( in total , 400 aftershocks ) followed the earthquake . A former Portuguese fortress , built by Admiral Afonso de Albuquerque in 1507 , sustained heavy damage to its eastern wall but otherwise remained intact . 

neutral
 In 1950 , another strong earthquake had rocked the Azores Islands region , and this was the largest earthquake since . 

entailment
 A focal mechanism solution of the earthquake confirmed two nodal planes both striking north @-@ south and dipping approximately 45 degrees to the east and to the west . This faulting suggests dip slip reverse motion , and to a horizontal east @-@ west axis of confining stress . The rupture also occurred partially on the New Madrid Fault , responsible for the great New Madrid earthquakes in 1812 , consisting of the most powerful earthquakes to hit the contiguous United States . 

neutral
 In September 1985 , as earthquakes and phreatic eruptions rocked the area , local officials began planning for an evacuation . In October , a hazard map was finalized for the area around Nevado del Ruiz . This map highlighted the danger from falling material — including ash and rock — near Murillo , Santa Isabel , and Libano , as well as the threat of lahars in Mariquita , Guayabal , Chinchiná and Armero . 

neutral
 The Armero tragedy ( Spanish : Tragedia de Armero [ tɾaˈxeðja ðe arˈmeɾo ] ) was one of the major consequences of the eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz stratovolcano in Tolima , Colombia , on November 13 , 1985 . After 69 years of dormancy , the volcano 's eruption caught nearby towns unaware , even though the government had received warnings from multiple volcanological organizations to evacuate the area when volcanic activity had been detected in September 1985 . 
