How was Reelfoot Lake Formed?
It is believed that Reelfoot Lake was formed as a result of the New Madrid earthquakes in the early 1800s. A section of landscape sunk as a result of the quakes, and that the shifting of the earth during the earthquakes caused the Mississippi River to actually flow backwards for a period of about 10 to 24 hours, filling the sunken area, forming Reelfoot Lake.