Earthquakes Rattle Residents Near Greenbrier

"The activity has been occurring in Faulkner County just to the north and the west of what we call the Inola swarm area," says Scott Ausbrook.

Ausbrook is a geologist for the Arkansas Geological Survey. And just like a lot of other people, he felt Sunday night's 2.9 magnitude earthquake.

Aubrook says, "I could hear a low rumble and I could feel the seismic wave go from one end of the house to the other. It went from northeast to southwest. And once we plotted it on a map and saw in relation from my house, that's exactly the direction it came from. You could feel it pass through, the chain on the fan swayed just a little bit, and I lost satellite reception on the TV for just a brief instant."

Ausbrook says there are no dangerous faults in the area, so experts are looking at the increase in activity closely.

Ausbrook continues, "These rocks are highly shattered in this area, so one movement, one moves, it triggers more movement."

"Up here in the hallway and these picture started rattling," says Curtis Terry.

Terry and his wife live on a farm five miles west of Greenbrier.

Terry thinks there's a reason for all the shaking, "My own personal opinion, I think it's due to all the gas drilling in the area."

And he's not the only one. Many are wondering if the gas exploration has anything to do with the increase in seismic activity. Last weekend geologists deployed two more sensors in the area hoping to better determine the depth of all the activity.

Ausbrook says if the earthquakes are located several kilometers under the surface, they're likely causes by the tectonic plates and are naturally occurring. Most experts agree there is no evidence right now that gas exploration in the area is to blame.

Several scientific organizations are keeping a close watch on the earthquakes.