[WakeUpAndVote]

Lack of warning?

[Izzy Dunne]

whether there's a possible connection to the region's natural gas drilling industry.

Oh Noes - the boogeymen are coming!

[Joe 6-pack]

"The central Arkansas town of Greenbrier has been plagued for months by hundreds of small earthquakes..."

"...they're unsettled by the increasing severity and lack of warning..."

Ummm, how much more "warning" do you need than "hundreds of small earthquakes," of, "increasing severity"?

I think most people would consider that fair warning.

[DTogo]

residents said Monday they're unsettled by the increasing severity and lack of warning

It's a conspiracy to keep earthquake forecasts away from folks in Arkansas.

[Izzy Dunne]

A six-month moratorium was established in January on new injection wells in the area to allow time to study the relationship — if any — between the wells and the earthquakes.

So they stopped drilling in January, and at the end of February, there's a quake.

So it's not the drilling, it's the existence of the holes!

Haven't there been earthquakes for, like, I dunno.... HUNDREDS of years?

[Izzy Dunne]

"It's Mother Earth. It's going to do what it's going to do."

Somebody please print this out and staple it to Al Gore's forehead.

[reagan_fanatic]

and after being woken up...

Is that even proper English?

[Izzy Dunne]

Would it be rude to point out that, if this is the largest quake in 35 years, then the one 35 years ago was larger, and not likely to be connected to the gas drilling that occurred last year?

[Buckeye McFrog]

35 years ago....isn’t that around the time Clinton gave up jogging?

[Hatteras]

"...residents said Monday they're unsettled by the increasing severity and lack of warning"

Well, then I guess they are going to have to get settled, huh?

I, myself, have never experienced an earthquake. The one thing in life I could always count on no matter what else happens, the ground will always be right there where I left it. So I couldn't imagine what that must feel like. Give me a hurricane anyday, at least I know what to expect.

But with that said, I don't hear the weenies in California complaining about not having warnings. And I'm sure if there was somebody they could sue, they would have tried it by now. So I guess Arkansans just need to deal with it. Hell, move, if you're that unsettled. Just don't move to NC. ;-)

[Sacajaweau]

A biggie happened 35 years ago, too....and likely after a lot of little ones...

I see a pattern...And it has nothing to do with global warming or drilling or what we eat.

[mountainlion]

Earthquakes in diverse places? Lets see, where did I read that?

[FourPeas]

It may seem funny so some FReepers, but the people in the area whose homes are being damaged by the repeated shaking don’t find it nearly as humorous. In this economy, it’s even less so.

It’s worth noting, too, that at the time the earthquake happened, the area was getting ready for a very fast moving severe storm to come through, one with winds expected to be 50-60mph.

[NeverForgetBataan]

Some farmer, up in Guy, is going to be surprsied one day to see a little smoke coming from a crack in the ground. Then the
next day it will be a little bigger.

In a week he will be told that he’s the proud owner of a new volcano.

That actually happened in Mexico in 1943. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Par%C3%ADcutin

Prolly won’t happen in AR, but would be interesting.

[kevinm13]

Isn’t 35 years the amount of time since it snowed in San Francisco (which happened a few days ago)? What goes around comes around.

[Kenny Bunk]

This is a wee bit ominous, as this is activity close to the New Madrid Fault, and locals have been reporting minor ruptures in road surfaces, and in fields for a while now.

The last big one was exactly 200 years ago and it changed the course of the Mississippi, among other incredibly devastating effects. Fortunately, very few people lived there at the time. The next one has a lot bigger targets!