April 09, 2011 01:00 AM EDT
A pair of 3.9 earthquakes shook the state of Arkansas on Friday. The two quakes struck close to Greenbrier, Arkansas. The tremors hit within 24 hours of each other, and there is concern that companies working in the area might be causing the tremors.
Fortunately, no one was injured, and damage was small. Arkansas Gas and Oil Commission ceased operation to get rid of wastewater from natural-gas production after March 4. The owners of the wells are Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake Energy and Clarita Operating. They no longer believe the company's injection wells are causing the problem because they have stopped working, and still the earthquakes continue.
Many smaller earthquakes have shaken the town of Greenbrier. The largest being a 4.7-magnitude earthquake in February. It is a matter of caution for the company to stop injecting the wastewater into the rocks in Arkansas. The people of Greenbrier will rest easier knowing that cautionary measures are in the works. Whatever is causing these tremors, the best course of action is to wait.
Both Arkansas and Oklahoma have seen an increase in seismic activity in the last year. It is probably foolish to blame the wells for these earthquakes. It must be scary to live in a region that is not use to earthquakes, but lately, both states have developed immunity to the fear. It may just be that tremors are something people from the region should assume will happen more often.
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