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Scientist: New fault could mean major Ark. temblor By JON GAMBRELL, APposted: 2 HOURS 55 MINUTES AGOcomments: 0PrintShareText SizeAAALITTLE ROCK, Ark. -A previously unknown fault in eastern Arkansas could trigger a magnitude 7 earthquake with an epicenter near a major natural gas pipeline, a scientist said Wednesday. 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.Pipes are "all over the place," spokeswoman Rebecca Virden said. "We, CenterPoint Energy, or someone else has a pipeline everywhere."Carl Weimer, executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust in Bellingham, Wash., said companies with lines running through earthquake-prone Southern California have extra safety features including "more valves and different types of valves in case something happens and the pipeline can be shut off quicker."Clint Stephens, the chief of pipeline safety at the commission, said the federal government would oversee any interstate lines. The U.S. Department of Transportation's Office of Pipeline Safety did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Hundreds of earthquakes occur each year, including several in Arkansas. Most Arkansas earthquakes occur in the state's northeast corner in the New Madrid Seismic Zone, but Al-Shukri said the Marianna fault was not connected because it was too far from the temblors caused by that zone.During the winter of 1811 and 1812, a series of three earthquakes with magnitudes of around 8 struck the zone and much smaller temblors continue to hit today.On the Net:Arkansas Geological Survey: http://www.geology.ar.govUALR Arkansas Earthquake Center: http://quake.ualr.edu/U.S. Geological Survey: http://www.usgs.govCopyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.2009-01-22 06:19:22
My dad grew up in Blytheville on the AR, MO border in the 60s and some of the 70s. He recalls many trimmers while he grew up. They can get quite a few trimmers through there.
Didn't know they had string trimmers back then! We only had a weed whip....OHHHHHHHHH....you meant tremors....my fault!
Officials express concern about newly discovered fault linePosted: Aug 28, 2009 4:47 PM CDT Updated: Aug 28, 2009 9:17 PM CDT MEMPHIS, TN (WMC-TV) - Officials expressed new concerns Friday about the devastating damage a newly discovered fault line could cause to the Mid-South. It's called the Meeman-Shelby Fault, and officials say it could be a devastating blow to Memphis if activated."If this fault goes, then there will be widespread damage," Beatrice Magnani of the University of Memphis said Friday.University of Memphis researchers recently discovered the 30 mile long fault under the Mississippi River, along the Western border of the Shelby-County line near Shelby Forrest. Researchers say if the fault becomes active, it could trigger a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. That's why officials say now is the time to plan."In the event we do have a major earthquake, which we know is a possibility in this area because of this fault, the need is for The MED to be prepared for any type of disaster," Congressman Steve Cohen said.Magnani said University of Memphis researchers have been studying the seismic fault since last summer."We are currently trying to get funding to study with more accuracy the activity of this fault, so we can precisely pinpoint when this fault has been active," she said.Researchers have teamed up with the Army Corps of Engineers to survey a 200 mile area from Missouri to Arkansas, hoping their most recent discovery will promote awareness."Anything we can do to be more predictive on what we can expect allows us to better be prepared," said Col. Thomas Smith of the Corps of Engineers.
i wonder if one day like soon we could get a big earthquake like the one from haiti cause i mean its constinally building pressure.
There's already been one big enough to make the Mississippi River run backwards. To think that another one cannot happen is sticking one's head into the sand.
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Topic: Scientists Discover New Fault Line in Arkansas (Read 21641 times)
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