A stretch of seismic activity felt in and around the Commonwealth drew some extra interest from seismologists around the state.
Dr. Seth Carpenter, a seismologist with the Kentucky Geological Survey, shared why these tremors drew attention.
“There was a period of time that stretched from earlier in November into mid-December or so where we saw three magnitude 3.0 or greater earthquakes,” said Carpenter.
Earthquakes at magnitude 3.0 are strong enough to be felt near the epicenter, and these quakes were recorded by seismographs in the western part of the state.
Kentucky sits adjacent to three seismic zones, and the New Madrid Seismic Zone is the most active. The zone, which includes parts of western Kentucky, averages two to four of these types of tremors spread throughout the year. The zone produced three of them between Nov. 3 and Dec. 9.
“Earthquakes in the areas where these larger events have happened are not unusual,” Carpenter added. “It’s a little more unusual to see earthquakes so, of such a stronger magnitude and clustered in time like we see here.”