Earthquake Swarm in Arkansas Intensifies. Memphis, Tennessee could be epicenter for the next big one

Let me start by saying the I am a writer first. Which means I am unable to post cool graphics. The best I can do is give you links. I hope the folks from QuakeWatch and Yellowstone follow me here and give me a hand.

I am warning the people of the Mississipii River Valley that a big one may be near. Earthquake activity in Arkansas is gone past the realm of curiousity and is now a real concern. I'll just start with some links to show you the history of quakes in the area over the last year. I've been talking about this on the QuakeWatch thread so I will be directing you there for more research.

As I write, the quakes are ongoing and there seems to be no end to the lastest flurry. In my next post I'll provide links. I must now go look at the new quakes and try to examine them.

Please take this seriously. I am. I've been focused on Arkansas over the last few months and this is not a knee-jerk reaction. I wouldn't be sticking this out there if I thought I was just being an alarmist without a clause.

It's real. Have a look for yourself.

Here's the current webicorder.

www.iris.edu...

Here's yesterday's.

www.iris.edu...

Here's the list of posted quakes. There's lots of little ones not yet posted.

earthquake.usgs.gov...

Hi there. I have been reading your posts for a while on the EQ/Volcano threads. The fracking concepts that you present have been really interesting and I am very much looking forward to this thread of yours. Thank you and S&F.

Oh, btw, this little one just went off in Arkansas.

Magnitude 2.2
Date-Time Wednesday, February 16, 2011 at 14:26:29 UTC
Wednesday, February 16, 2011 at 08:26:29 AM at epicenter

Location 35.258°N, 92.355°W
Depth 5.6 km (3.5 miles)
Region ARKANSAS

earthquake.usgs.gov...

Robin, as you know, I live in the "quakezone" of the New Madrid. First, I am so happy to see that you started this thread.

Secondly, are these quakes happening in one general location, or are they happening all over the New Madrid? I know that a few have happened in different places so I guess I am curious to what location the majority of the quakes are happening.

Do you think that most of them are caused by fracking, or are they natural? Or a little of both?

Can't wait to read more of your thoughts on this. Thanks!

ETA: Wow, looking at your link it seems that most are around Greenbrier and Guy Arkansas. Is there a lot of fracking in or near those towns?

Could the never ending (seemingly) swarm be the release of pressure, saving us from the big one, perhaps?

I live in Louisville KY, how would a big one from Arkansas or TN effect us here?

reply to post by kennylee
I have seen Robin excited before, but usually about predicting quakes at yellowstone.

I haven't seen him like this before though. It worries me a bit, although I am not in an area of concern, I worry about those who are.

reply to post by butcherguy


I too reside in the New Madrid zone and will follow this thread closely. Robin, did the "frost quake", that occurred in indiana, show up on seismograph readings?

reply to post by butcherguy


I hear what you are saying. I have followed the Yellowstone thread for the past three years and have followed all of Robins threads. Yes, he did get excited one time during all the swarms at Yellowstone, but with very good reason at the time and I was really glad to have his input. It was back then that I realized that Robin knew a lot about quakes.

I live just north of Louisville and when the big one does hit, it will more than likely topple structures here. I remember a small quake back in 1979 that registered I believe a 5.3 and it knocked down bricks and cracked walls in Louisville. I believe it was centered somewhere in Indiana, I'm not sure. I will do some research and see if I can find it.

So yes, if Robin is concerned about the New Madrid, we should all be concerned. Scientist even say its not an IF but a WHEN it goes. Robin is just trying to pin down the WHEN for us...

Here's links to QuakeWatch where I've been discussing the quakes. And I write about fracking on a thread Puterman started for me. I'm trying to follow the webicorder and pull together links and information. So please be patient.

The Arkansas swarm is releasing energy near Guy, but this activity also puts a load on nearby fault networks. So this means there's pressure building elsewhere. My most likely candidate is Memphis. There's research showing a fault under the city. There is small regular activity near New Madrid. The movement of these two areas will be redirected to another area. And it's likely that it won't be the New Madrid that ruptures, it will be a new area. The quakes migrate.

Here's the links for the other threads. You'll find most of my research and links there. I'll gather the best and repost them here.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

I'm pointing the finger at fracking and have been doing so the last few months.

Could someone post the webicoder for today so there is a visual of what's happening?

ill take your word for it robin..

all we can do now is hope that people take your advice and leave now personally id rather be safe then sorry

F N S for your first ever thread and i must say its awesome ...

ill be keeping a close eye on this too ....

lets hope your wrong about this ..

Thanks Robin for starting this thread focusing on this region. It will be interesting over the next couple of days to watch for more reports of dead birds from this region. We should not be looking for hundreds or thousands as reported in January. Small groups of 30 to 50 should raise major alarm bells….

Robin knows his stuff...People in and around this area please listen and take this seriously...it is not about scaring people but informing people. Stay safe!

Ty op for the thread!!!
Myself I live on the Missouri/Arkansas line...white river basin.
Lived here for almost 40 years now, and with limited midwestern edumacation.

Every spring a group of us get together in a place called Caney AR, just south/east of Yellville.
Anyways, reason for me mentioning this is, a few years back I took up some more schoolin.
Mostly for archeological type things "very very rich native american aritfact area" so some geology, lots of history...etc..etc I dropped out too...

From Geo 101 something bothered me from the get go...sand....there is sand...and I mean lots of sand in a small area of Arkansas, "it should not be there" and after more research, I started noticing sand, when found in places not ment to be...are most often tale tell...signs of EQ and or volcanic activity.
This is pretty much ground zero for the last swarm of quakes...the area of sand at least 20x20 mile area.
To be more specific to the area I can get GE coord later...but its 3 miles west of where Caney river runs into the Buffulo river.

I have a mutual friend there...they "Shipmans" own and opperate a camp ground and bed/breakfast type thing.

Last I spoke to them they had two of their 4 cottages rented out to gov't officials.....EQ specialists.
All the info. they can get from the gov't guy is that there is definately something worthy of further study here.

The quake I was thinking about in 1979 actually was in 1980, and was in NorthEast Ky near Bath County. Here is the link on the damage caused.
earthquake.usgs.gov...

This was the first earthquake I had ever felt. I was standing outside with my family in our front yard. We first heard it, then felt it. It sounded like a locomotive coming with a big roar, then the ground started shaking enough to make my legs feel rubbery. It only lasted a few seconds, then was gone with the roaring sound fading.

It was a 5.2. I couldnt imagine a bigger one like a 7.0 hitting here.

Robin, how big do you think the Big One could possibly be for this area?

reply to post by Doc Holiday

From Geo 101 something bothered me from the get go...sand....there is sand...and I mean lots of sand in a small area of Arkansas, "it should not be there" and after more research, I started noticing sand, when found in places not ment to be...are most often tale tell...signs of EQ and or volcanic activity. This is pretty much ground zero for the last swarm of quakes...the area of sand at least 20x20 mile area. To be more specific to the area I can get GE coord later...but its 3 miles west of where Caney river runs into the Buffulo river. I have a mutual friend there...they "Shipmans" own and opperate a camp ground and bed/breakfast type thing. Last I spoke to them they had two of their 4 cottages rented out to gov't officials.....EQ specialists. All the info. they can get from the gov't guy is that there is definately something worthy of further study here.

Great info, Doc!

Thanks for posting that, esp. about govt EQ experts. STAR

reply to post by Robin Marks


Here are the images that you have link to above.
This is today:


And Yesterday:

Heres a thought. If someone can overlay a chart, reflecting the price of oil ( going back to when "fracking" became popular), on top of a chart showing the "increasing frequency" of EQ activity. I believe that if Fracking is indeed related to some of the activity, it will show up as the price of oil being directly proportional to the increase in EQ activity.( I hope I said that right.) If what I "suspect" is true, we should see a decrease in EQ activity, as the price of oil decreases.

I hope I'm wrong as well. My best evidence is the quakes themselves and this new report I found. I'll repost my conclusion from the QuakeWatch thread here. And the report. And the most recent list with 700 earthquakes over the last many months.

www.ouramazingplanet.com...

"From the report I just posted regarding mid-continental earthquakes.

"Now, new research from the University of Missouri suggests that inner-continental quakes such as China's may abide by a different set of rules than those that occur along plate boundaries."

This means the New Madrid Zone and Yellowstone and the surrounding mountains and fault act by their own rules and aren't like those occuring in California.

From the report,

"Along plate boundaries, small and moderate earthquakes that rupture along a particular fault lead to a build-up of stress along that same fault line, but mid-continent faults are connected to each other in a complex network, and a large earthquake along one fault will instead put pressure on a different fault."

This means that it's unlikely that the New Madrid will rupture in the same area. The larger quakes will migrate. So why is this important. It means that there is a connection between quakes in one area affecting the fault system of another at a much greater distance than geologists think. They believe that most activity is very local and contained with a particular fault. This means that earthquakes around these areas may be connected and this interaction is not understood. So. Earthquakes outside of Yellowstone have a relationship and can be putting stresses on the faults above the magma chamber. This means the earthquake in Arkansas my be destablizing a larger fault. Possibly under Memphis.

So if the Arkansas quakes are caused by fracking, this means the activity could have far reaching consequences. The deep well injection disposal is a known cause of earthquakes and there is injection in Arkansas. So fracking may be directly responsible for causing the next big quake in the Mississippi River area.

Remember that the New Madrid earthquake was not one quake. There were four. First starting in Arkansas and then migrate to the northeast. Coincidently, the trend of earthquakes near Guy, Arkansas, runs in the same direction. From the southwest up to the northeast.

So fracking is not a good idea.

They are fracking south of Yellowstone. The geologists have convinced everyone that what happens on one side of the mountains have very little to do with events on the farside. It looks like they might be wrong. It looks like quakes near Yellowstone can change things above the chamber.

So fracking is an insane idea."

Link to map.


Here's the map.


folkworm.ceri.memphis.edu...

reply to post by Robin Marks


You mentioned over 700 quakes in recent months...here you go, 706 EQ's:

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/16ef6c17a33c.gif[/atsimg]

folkworm.ceri.memphis.edu...