Since last Sunday’s magnitude 3.6 earthquake near Bergman, a total of 15 earthquakes have been reported in Boone County. According to Springfield television station KOLR, the Arkansas Geological Survey is exploring a theory of the high water levels at Bull Shoals Lake being the cause of the tremors.
The AGS says it’s a phenomenon known as “reservoir induced seismicity.” According to an article in Wikipedia, the weight of the water column can significantly change the stress on an underlying fault of fracture by increasing the the stress on the earth.
AGS Assistant Director Scott Ausbrooks says crews are installing seismographs in the ground around Bergman this weekend in an attempt to highlight a fault and its direction.
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