As many of you may know, Arkansas has over the last six months been experiencing a rash of earthquakes. A few nights ago I was lying in bed when I heard what sounded like a small boom that was followed by sounds of jingling glass. It turns out that this was the latest central Arkansas earthquake and the largest one so far coming in at 4.7 Richter scale. I am located in Conway which is about 20 miles from the epicenter of these quakes.
Now, it is true that Arkansas does have a seismic zone in the northeast part of the state called the New Madrid Fault which produced an earthquake so strong in 1811 that it ranks as one of the twenty largest in the history of the world. This faultline is no slouch compared to any in the world.
According to scientists, a New Madrid earthquake measuring over 7.5 on the Richter scale could generally be expected to take place every 200 to 300 years. Such a quake now would trigger destruction in up to twenty states and cause billions of dollars in damage at population centers. The quakes of 1811–12 were comprised of approximately 2,000 tremors, some of which would measure over 8.0 on today’s Richter scale.
The thing is, these latest earthquakes are not occurring on the New Madrid Fault. They are happening in central Arkansas in Faulkner County and I am just miles from where they are centered. I can honestly say that and I have never seen anything like this during my lifetime. Here in Arkansas, tornadoes are the natural disasters we worry about, not earthquakes. At least, not until now.
We have now had over 800 earthquakes in the last six months in central Arkansas with a recent earthquake registering a whopping 4.7. Given this highly unusual string of geological activity, the question that begs to be answered is, why is this happening?
Well, as luck would have it there has been a lot of other activity going on in Faulkner County pretty much exactly where these earthquakes have been centered. It is here that oil and gas companies have been very busy fracking away for natural gas. Yep, this is a prime location for fracking the earth by forcing water and chemicals at extremely high pressures into the earth thereby breaking up the rock and releasing the gas so that it can be extracted. From there, the waste water and chemicals and radioactive materials can be forced back down into the earth and into injection wells.
Is this a cause for concern? Well no, not really. At least that is the answer if you listen to the gas company guys.
Chesapeake Energy's Danny Games released the below statement Wednesday afternoon.
"We understand the concerns of citizens who reside in northern Faulkner County and respect the Commission staff's desire to address perceived issues associated with the seismic activity. However, we remain very confident that an objective review of the facts and science do not support the proposed action. We have dedicated extensive resources and have consulted with several very qualified geophysicists and seismologists to better understand the science, including the natural seismicity of the area that long pre-dates our operations. We will evaluate our options and continue to provide the best information possible to the staff and Commission."
I feel so much better now. Don't you?
Fortunately, there is someone here that is willing to take a serious look at the obvious correlation between fracking and the earthquakes. And, at least a couple of these injection wells will apparently be shut down temporarily by the Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission after an emergency meeting that was held on Wednesday.
Let's all hope that these corporations don't end up causing a massive earthquake here. My homeowners insurance (Allstate) doesn't even offer an earthquake rider anymore.