Over the last few days, a cluster of minor earthquakes have been reported in Marion County. All seven occurred in the same vicinity south and southeast of Peel near Bull Shoals Lake.
The cluster began with three earthquakes from Thursday afternoon through Friday morning, and four more were reported Sunday morning. The magnitude of the quakes ranged from 1.7 to 2.5. U.S. Geological Survey Research Geophysicist Thomas Pratt says this is not the first time that area has experienced a cluster of earthquakes.
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Some have wondered if one factor in the earthquakes is the region’s proximity to the New Madrid Fault Line. Pratt says the region is not close enough to be a part of that fault system.
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Pratt adds there’s no way of predicting if more earthquakes will occur, but the possibility cannot be ruled out.
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Experts say normally, earthquakes below magnitude 3 are rarely felt. However, smaller quakes from magnitude 2.0 and higher can be felt by humans if the quake is shallow (few kilometers only) and if they are very close to its epicenter and not disturbed by ambient factors such as noise, wind, vibrations of engines, traffic, etc.
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