Final answer:
The felt areas of the New Madrid and San Francisco earthquakes cannot be compared due to insufficient information.
Step-by-step explanation:
The answer to the question is D) Insufficient information to compare. The question states that the New Madrid and San Francisco earthquakes were of similar magnitudes, but it also mentions that the felt area of the New Madrid quakes was much smaller. However, we do not have sufficient information to compare the felt areas of the two earthquakes. The given information only talks about the death toll and historical earthquakes, but does not provide specific details about the felt areas of the New Madrid and San Francisco earthquakes.