RIVER VALLEY and OZARK AREA — Arkansans have been concerned about earthquakes for months, and the events in Japan have brought to light the danger of a damaging quake.
Geohazards Supervisor Scott Ausbrooks of the Arkansas Geological Survey said preparedness is important.
“We have not experienced a significant earthquake since 1976,” he said, referring to the New Madrid Fault Line in east Arkansas. “We recently had a 4.7-magnitude earthquake, which raised awareness and heightened everybody’s interest in earthquakes. It’s always good to be prepared, and you need drills in order to do that.”
For now, earthquakes in the River Valley and Ozark area, which are not connected with the New Madrid Fault Line, have slowed.
Ausbrooks and his team are looking forward to meetings on Tuesday, April 26, to discuss the moratorium put on injection wells in Faulkner County.
Ausbrooks said he is still studying any possible connection of recent earthquakes to gas drilling in the area, and the numbers he’s collected suggest a possible correlation.
“Eighteen days prior to the shutdown of the two wells on March 4, there were 85 events that were 2.5 magnitude or greater,” he said. “The 18 days after that, there were only 20.”
That shows about a 75 percent reduction in the number of earthquakes since the injection wells were shut down.
“I think it’s significant,” Ausbrooks said.
But until a direct connection between gas drilling and the seismic activity is confirmed, preparedness is key. Earthquake drills will take place across the country this spring. The first will be at 10:15 a.m. Thursday, April 28.
Individuals, families, schools, government agencies and businesses are all invited to participate.
In a letter to the residents of Arkansas posted on the Great ShakeOut’s website, Scott Ausbrooks wrote a letter endorsed by Gov. Mike Beebe and State Geologist Bekki White to explain that the exercise is an excellent opportunity for preparation.
“The ShakeOut will be the largest-ever earthquake drill, and the best time for all citizens to ‘Drop, Cover and Hold On.’ Experts believe dropping down and getting under a desk or table gives you the best chance of survival during a damaging earthquake,” Ausbrooks wrote.
For more information about the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut, visit www.ShakeOut.org/centralus.
Another drill in several Arkansas counties, including Conway and Perry, is scheduled for the week of Monday, May 16. Director of Conway County Emergency Service Brandon Baker is excited about the event.
“We’re all simulating an earthquake on the New Madrid Fault Line,” he said.
He explained that if the New Madrid Fault Line were to cause an earthquake, different counties would be impacted in different ways. East Arkansas would have more physical damage, while the area surrounding Conway County would be more of a medical surge.
“People from east Arkansas wouldn’t have any food, water or electricity, so they would come west to find shelter,” he said. “On Monday, May 16, we are going to simulate widespread power outages and test plans to see how we would operate.”
Baker said the Office of Emergency Management has been planning this exercise since last year and regularly holds events advocating preparedness for all kinds of disasters.
One thing Arkansans probably do not have to worry about, however, is a nuclear disaster that would accompany any seismic activity.
Ben Thielemier, a volunteer for Progress Arkansas, became interested in the relationship between nuclear power plants and seismic activity after the events in Japan.
“Lake Dardanelle is close [to Arkansas Nuclear One],” he said. “But Lake Dardanelle is never going to produce a 33-foot tsunami, and the tsunami is really what caused all of the problems in Japan.”