Great
Earthquakes In Diverse Places
Arkansas Is Shaking: 50+ Earthquakes In Past Week; 700+ In
Last Six Months
February 18, 2011
by Mark Memmott
NPR
There was a 3.2-magnitude earthquake at 6:18 a.m. local time this
morning near Greenbrier, Ark., the U.S. Geological Survey reports.
That's in the north central part of the state.
But that's hardly the whole story.
Since Sunday, USGS says, there have been more than 50 earthquakes
in that area. And, local station KATV reported yesterday, there
have been more than 700 in the past six months.
The Associated Press reports that:
"Scott Ausbrooks, geohazards supervisor for the Arkansas
Geological Survey, said the quakes are part of what is now called
the Guy earthquake swarm — a series of mild earthquakes that have
been occurring periodically since 2009. A similar swarm occurred
in the early 1980s when a series of quakes hit Enola, Ark.
"Ausbrooks said geologists are still trying to discover the
exact cause of the recent seismic activity but have identified two
possibilities.
" 'It could just be a naturally occurring swarm like the Enola
swarm, or it could be related to ongoing natural gas exploration
in the area,' he said."
There's been a lot of nature-related news from Arkansas recently,
particularly those mysterious bird and fish kills.