New Fault Discovered in Arkansas
Scientists believe that an unknown fault in eastern Arkansas could eventually trigger a magnitude 7.0 earthquake with an epicenter near a major natural gas pipeline.
From the Associated Press:
Haydar Al-Shukri, the director of the Arkansas Earthquake Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, said the fault is separate from the New Madrid fault responsible for a series of quakes in 1811-12 that caused the Mississippi River to flow backward.
Acres of cotton fields cover the fault west of Marianna, about 100 miles east of Little Rock, but stretches of fine sand mixed with fertile soil gave away the fault’s location, Al-Shukri said. Liquefied sand bubbled up through cracks in the earth, while ground radar and digs showed vents that let the sand reach the surface, he said.
The fault, likely created in the last 5,000 years, sparked at least one magnitude 7 earthquake in its history. Such temblors cause massive destruction in their wake.
“This is a very, very dangerous (area) at risk of earthquake,” Al-Shukri said. “When you talk about (magnitude) 7 and plus, this is going to be a major disaster.”
Al-Shukri did not identify a time frame for the potential earthquake.
Such a quake would affect Little Rock and neighboring states such as Tennessee and Mississippi, Al-Shukri said.
The researcher has said a gas pipeline crossed the newly discovered fault. He declined to name the company that owned the pipeline. Al-Shukri had said in a speech at the University of Arkansas’ Clinton School of Public Service that the company was building a large line through the area, mirroring the old one’s path.
A map made by the Arkansas Public Service Commission shows an Arkla Energy Resources pipe in the area. A spokeswoman for CenterPoint Energy Inc., which owns Arkla, said Wednesday that the company worked closely with public officials to prepare response plans for earthquakes and other natural disasters.
Tags: Little Rock, Arkansas, New Madrid, Mississippi River, USGS, Arkansas Fault, Arkansas Earthquake, Haydar Al-Shukri, Faultline, Arkla Energy Resources, New Fault, New Earthquake Fault, CenterPoint Energy, University of Arkansas
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January 23, 2009 at 8:45 am
This isn’t new-they’ve known about it for decades!
January 23, 2009 at 8:46 am
Isn’t this a new fault just discovered? I heard that they knew of a few, but not this one.
January 23, 2009 at 11:34 am
I grew up in Ark. and can remember hearing the same story years ago as a child…there are many caverns in the region. Perhaps it was just passed on from farmer to farmer and never officially recorded.
April 7, 2009 at 4:24 am
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