Arkansas Earthquakes are getting stronger in recent weeks. Last Friday morning, the largest earthquake to hit the area in recent record keeping first measured 4.3 in magnitude before being downgraded to a 4.1 on the Richter Scale.  Sunday night the state was rattled by a 4.7 followed by a 3.8 aftershock.

KOLR/KSFX’s Facebook page was filled with reports from people feeling the quake as far as Ava, West Plains, and Reeds Spring, Missouri, as well as Calico Rock, Mountain View, and Flippin, Arkansas.

 

The quake struck in the midst of severe weather. Tornado and thunderstorm warnings were issued across northern Arkansas and southwest Missouri Sunday evening as a cold front moved in.

 

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, more than 700 earthquakes have occurred in the area within the last six months.  No one seems to know why, but many seem to believe that the Arkansas earthquake swarm could be a side effect of natural gas drilling.

 

Geologists don’t necessarily thing that the natural gas production wells are the problem, but they haven’t ruled out injection wells that dispose of “fracking” wastewater as a possible cause. The earthquakes have been happening near several injection wells.

 

Last night’s earthquake in Arkansas was the biggest one recorded since 1969.  Several smaller aftershocks were felt in the state, as well as in Oklahoma, Tennessee, Missouri, and Mississippi.

 

I’m starting to think maybe Natural Gas drilling’s not the cause of the recent increase in Earthquakes in Arkansas.  With the high increase in Earthquakes around the Nation and the world, most areas effected are untouched by drilling.

Instead of laying the blame on drilling we should be looking elsewhere for answer’s, just maybe.

Read More: Ozark First

Photo Credit: NCReedplayer

Related articles

• Earthquake in Arkansas (manolith.com)
• Largest earthquake in 35 years hits Arkansas (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• 3 Earthquakes Rock Arkansas (huffingtonpost.com)
• 4.7-magnitude earthquake hits central Arkansas (cnn.com)
• 4.7-magnitude earthquake hits central Arkansas – CNN (news.google.com)