The Earth is shaking in central Arkansas.
Almost two dozen earthquakes of magnitude 2.3 or greater have struck the region since midnight Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey reports.
The largest of the temblors, at 4.3 magnitude, hit at 2:13 a.m. Friday. It followed a 4.0-magnitude event at 11 p.m. Thursday.
No damage has been reported from any of the quakes, all centered near the town of Greenbrier in Faulkner County, CNN affiliate KARK reports. Residents reported hearing a boom at the time of Friday morning's quake, KARK reported.
The earthquake swarm is reminiscent of a swarm that hit the area last fall. More than 500 were recorded in less than a month.
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whats going on in AR...first dead birds, then dead fish and now 23 quakes...
All the natural gas test drilling that has been going on. The drilling was mentioned in the dead bird articles.
I have my own skepticism as well in the bad proctices of natural gas fracking.
H.A.A.R.P.
only Mike Huckabee knows for sure.....
I really doubt it was because of the "natural gas drills", this drills don't cause more than 500 quakes in less than a month. If you people didn't know, this use to be a very active geological zone. The 1812 New Madrid Earthquake of magnitude 8.0 is the best example of the geological activity that remains in the area of Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kentucky, Illinois, and Texas. If we go further back to prehistoric eras, Mount Jackson was the main example of geological-vulcanology activity in this area, the volcano is now extinct, buried beneath Jackson, Mississippi. Other prehistoric geological features in area are the Taum Sauk Caldera in Missouri and Mount Pilot Knob in Texas, all these extinct now but they are now reminders that this area of the US will continue to be geologically active.
Don't worry. It's just the cast of the View doing tapings in Arkansas. They'll leave the state soon.
Must be due to the solar flares! I wouldn't be surprised if we see more quakes across the world. Maybe California????
The powers that be don't want any more Presidents from Arkansas. They're using HARP to wipe out the population.
Personally I think we could use another Clinton. Thats just me though.
Dad gum...
I was anticipating a reply about 2012, end of times, or some religious nut case telling everyone to repent. Although it is scary how centralized these things are happening in AZ.
the Tea Party would tell you they must be Democrats and God is trying to tell them something.
T Boone Pickens will tell you it's not his fault (no pun intended), and that fracking has nothing to do with it.
Volcano! Magma is moving. Likely building a new caldera underground.
2012 is around the corner. signed Michael Jackson
I wasn't aware that earthquakes swarm. So we could also say there was a whole flock of earthquakes in AR? How about a gaggle?
No, it's not the birds, it's not the fish, it's not the fracing, it's not the solar flares, it's not even the hosts of The View.
Look up the New Madrid fault system.
The New Madrid Fault, also called the New Madrid seismic zone, is actually a series of faults, or fractures, at a weak spot in the earth’s crust called the Reelfoot Rift. It lies deep in the earth and cannot be seen from the surface. The fault line runs roughly 150 miles from Arkansas into Missouri and Illinois. In 1811–1812, it was responsible for the most violent series of earthquakes in the history of the continental United States (though there have been larger individual earthquakes). Scientists predict that another large earthquake is due which could inflict great damage to Arkansas as well as up to half the nation.
Agree Wzrd, the 1812 New Madrid Earthquake was the US' most intense earthquake in recorded history. This event was unique because the quake was an intense intraplate-earthquake, it was felt strongly over roughly 50,000 square miles, and moderately across nearly 1 million square miles.
Magnitude 4.1 – ARKANSAS
2011 February 18 08:13:35 UTC
GREENBRIER, AR EARTHQUAKE SWARM
This earthquake is part of a swarm of earthquakes that began on Tuesday February 15, 2011 and is continuing. This area is slightly south of and most likely related to similar activity (known as the Guy earthquake swarm) of hundreds of small earthquakes near Guy, Arkansas from August 2010 to present. Central Arkansas has a history of earthquake activity with a swarm of thousands of earthquakes smaller than magnitude 4.5 to 4.7 in the early 1980s and another swarm in 2001 (known as the Enola earthquake swarms). The Center for Earthquake Research and Information (CERI) at the University of Memphis and the Arkansas Geological Survey (AGS) have deployed a local seismic array in the Greenbrier-Enola, Arkansas, area to augment regional seismic stations to carefully monitor this situation. USGS scientists have been working with their AGS and CERI colleagues. (earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsus/Quakes/nm1182.php#details)
Tough year for Arkansas; first the dead birds, then the snow blizzard, now earthquakes, again. What's next, a flood?
The floods happened October 2009.
I live in Central Arkansas. Trust me this is news to us. Most people cant sense sub 4.0 earthquakes. It's barely enough to make a still glass of watter ripple.
Bernard, if the epicenter happens to be fairly close you will definitely feel a 4 & under. I live in California and so I have some experience in these matters
But given enough distance between you and the epicenter, you would be correct.
dont forget about the dead fish
Ohio sucks. Its cold, the people are mean and wanna be New Yorkers, their cities are dirty, LeBron hates it....no one wants to live in Ohio roemesiter. Wow, roemesiter, Ohio State and the Big 12 won so many chamionships before u were born. SEC has 5 in a row, keep picking on Arkansas, who u barely beat.
I say it's going to be Yellowstone...just watch.
KEEP AN EYE ON THE SAN ANDREA FAULT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
.. at least a thousand miles away. More likely (and with possibly greater devastation) the New Madrid fault.
I'd worry about the New Madrid fault first.....
It's the New Madrid fault line that's going to be the undoing of us all...unless of course it's the volcano under Yellowstone!!
center of Canada?? Moose Head ??
San Andreas is ok for now and it has nothing to do with Arkansas or this geological region. Best to keep an eye on Greenbrier, because it could become 'Mount Greenbrier'.
The San Andreas fault is only one of several in that area. The big one will be where one fault after another triggers the next in line.
Fracking is only done in old wells. Once the pressure had been dissipated and a pump jack no longer brings the product up they use Fracking. It has been around at least 20 years and, to date, has not been involved in any quakes or bird poisonings. I am not defending the petroleum industry as I loathe everything about it. However, it is better to focus on the actual problems. I live where the 2nd largest reserves in the world are, Alberta Canada. Tar Sands. Now that is a big problem.
Greenbrier is southwest of the southern mapped tip of the New Madrid seismic zone. However, this may very well be directly related to NMSZ and could be a precursor to a major event sometime in the future. Any seismologists or vulcanologists care to share an opinion?
Especially if those quakes start swarming that way!
Beware of the It'sNotMy Falut!
Seriously, the New Madrid system acts up from time to time. So far, there is no consensus on any probability of it having a severe earthquake like the 1811-1812 events.
Arkansas, the new California!
You mean Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Kentucky, Texas and Illinois. The New Madrid Fault affects some parts of all this states.
From AOL news: Some experts said natural gas exploration, which is extensive in the region, may be triggering the seismic surge, but they noted that no direct correlation between the drilling and the earthquakes has been proven.
of course the ones that would investigate it are the ones allowing it to happen in the first place, so good luck trying to prove that it is causing the quakes.
They drill off the coast of California too.
Is AOL still around???
Yeah, that drilling REALLY has a BIG effect 3-15 miles down through SOLID ROCK!
A small hint: They don't drill on fault lines, it's really bad on the well and the drill.
TampaMike: I was thinking the same thing! That's like getting a news report from 1995. Thanks AOL!
That's right Lori, the new California, only not as expensive and not as criminally inhabited.
at least not yet
Actually if you compare Little Rock to Los Angeles (per capita), Arkansas has the higher crime rate. I couldn't find the state to state comparison, but I figured Los Angeles was the best city to choose from CA for a high crime rate.
plus, in ARKY you can marry yer sister!
Nothing was damaged and no one was injured so lets hold off on the prayers just yet, it was probably God telling all the faithful in Arkansas THEY'RE DOING IT WRONG.
Hahaha, totally loving this comment.
Whole lot of "Fracking" goin on.
Finally I'm not the only one who sees the downward spiral of natural gas fracturing
What is wrong with praying for the dead?
So far as we know, no one has died from these earthquakes.
Little bitty earthquakes. Doubtful anyone died because of them. Take of the aluminum hat. Pray for world peace.
Dead people have no feelings.
He was being sarcastic.
Because it's silly.
This phenomenon also happened at the time of the massive bird deaths. hmmm!
@Glem, nobody died.
Arkansas is on the New Madrid fault line. The last great earthquake in that area was in 1811-1812 when the Mississippi ran backward. That was a 7 point quake. A 7 point quake in that area today could devastate Memphis and surrounding areas.
The New Madrid fault would/does affect central Ark. but it is more to the east, closer to Memphis and extending north to St. Louis. Why has the more epi-central area been stable? I suspect the problem is the energy bilionaires fracking for even more money–they can't get enough of it. If our country had proper oversight/regulation over the projects of these greedy billionaires, we might have an answer. But as another poster noted, that's probably not going to happen.
No, the magnitude of the 1811-12 quakes was much higher than 7. The quake awoke the President in the White House and rang bells in Philadelphia. The Richter scale was not in use back then, but some estimates place the quake at somewhere between 8 and 10. And yes, siesmic activity may well have resulted in the release of toxic gases which killed the fish in Northern AK and disoriented the birds which died en masse in the same region. When I first read those headlines, that was my first thought. That area has been very seismically active for a long time now, with numerous small quakes daily around the region. It does seem that the fault is "heating up". And the seismic activity of the region pre-dates the drilling for gas, which is a (relatively) new event, so I don't think that the drilling can fully account for it.
Take it from someone that grew up in the state, these quakes aren't causing any concern to the locals. Arkansas has the New Madrid Fault in the northeast and an extinct volcano in the southwest. The state is more geologically active than most know, so it isn't a surprise. Either the New Madrid is getting ready to move or the volcanic Ouachita region has decided to do something out of the ordinary.
Wait... The Mississippi ran backwards?
Well, I'll be...
nothing wrong with praying 4 the dead however the living need your prayers more.
Praying for the dead makes no sense, they are dead and it's too late. Pray for the livng.
Let's be clear on one thing though. Praying for the living is just as silly as praying for the dead.
I am from Ar, and with all the dead birds, fish, and unusual weather a large earthquake does not surprise me. However, there have always been earthquakes due to the location of the New Madrid fault in AR. I am more worried about how poorly our local governments and emergency aid will handle the situation if something does happen.
Well considering earthquakes happen pretty much all the time but never get reported and the increase is seismic stations all around the world the news sure does love to profit off of the fact that we are interested by something that happens constantly everywhere.
Earthquakes are most definitely reported. http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/ Most are so minor that most people can't tell they have occurred, therefore they do not make the news.