Reported by: Jackie Orozco
Email: JOrozco@abc24.com
Published: 10/14 9:53 pm
Updated: 8:36 pm
GUY, AR - Central Arkansas has been hit by a series of earthquakes recently, the biggest so far was a magnitude four that shook the town of Guy, about 150 miles west of Memphis.
A research scientist from the University of Memphis, Dr। Steve Horton said Arkansas is getting a lot of unusual earthquakes, more than 60 in the last month।
"In the New Madrid Seismic Zone there's approximately 200 per year, so if we had that many in Central Arkansas in less than a month, something is going on," said Dr। Horton।
That part of central Arkansas isn't even part of the New Madrid Fault Zone, so researchers are trying to figure out what's causing all those earthquakes। Horton thinks, the earthquake swarm could be the result of injecting salt water into old natural gas wells to force more gas production।
"There’s salt water that’s a by product of the natural gas industry in that area and then disposed in a well," said Dr। Horton.
Even though the two areas are not connected, Horton's biggest worry is along the New Madrid Fault where he said damage from a magnitude six earthquake could be catastrophic to Mid-Southerners।
"A probability of having that in a 50-year period is about 25 to 40-percent chance," said Dr। Horton.
There have been no reports of damage or anyone getting hurt from the earthquakes in central Arkansas. The largest earthquake along the New Madrid Fault was a 7.7 magnitude in 1811. It caused a massive upheaval of the ground and the shaking was felt all the way to New York City.
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Source
Email: JOrozco@abc24.com
Published: 10/14 9:53 pm
Updated: 8:36 pm
GUY, AR - Central Arkansas has been hit by a series of earthquakes recently, the biggest so far was a magnitude four that shook the town of Guy, about 150 miles west of Memphis.
A research scientist from the University of Memphis, Dr। Steve Horton said Arkansas is getting a lot of unusual earthquakes, more than 60 in the last month।
"In the New Madrid Seismic Zone there's approximately 200 per year, so if we had that many in Central Arkansas in less than a month, something is going on," said Dr। Horton।
That part of central Arkansas isn't even part of the New Madrid Fault Zone, so researchers are trying to figure out what's causing all those earthquakes। Horton thinks, the earthquake swarm could be the result of injecting salt water into old natural gas wells to force more gas production।
"There’s salt water that’s a by product of the natural gas industry in that area and then disposed in a well," said Dr। Horton.
Even though the two areas are not connected, Horton's biggest worry is along the New Madrid Fault where he said damage from a magnitude six earthquake could be catastrophic to Mid-Southerners।
"A probability of having that in a 50-year period is about 25 to 40-percent chance," said Dr। Horton.
There have been no reports of damage or anyone getting hurt from the earthquakes in central Arkansas. The largest earthquake along the New Madrid Fault was a 7.7 magnitude in 1811. It caused a massive upheaval of the ground and the shaking was felt all the way to New York City.
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