North central Kansans are accustomed to dealing with most acts of nature, but feeling an earthquake is a new phenomenon creating much speculation and curiosity. Representative Susan Concannon, along with the Kansas Geological Survey, would like to offer the public an opportunity to learn and discuss the seismic activity at a forum September 19, 2017 at 10:00 am in the North Central Kansas Technical College Severance Student Union conference room, 3033 US 24 Hwy, Beloit.
Researchers from the Kansas Geological Survey (KGS) on the campus of the University of Kansas have been recording and analyzing earthquakes in Smith, Jewell, and Republic counties over the last few years and have begun to see distinctive patterns or clustering recently.
Scientists from the KGS will be available at this town hall style meeting in Beloit to provide a short presentation and address questions from the community that will likely include: where are the earthquake clusters located, what size are the earthquakes many report feeling, are the patterns of these earthquakes consistent and predictable, what might be in store for the near future, and of course, why here.
Much of the recent statewide increase in seismic activity has been in south central Kansas and attributed to the dramatic increase in waste water disposal from oil and gas production that began in 2012. Unlike most of the south-central earthquakes, the earthquakes felt in north central Kansas over the last year are not likely induced by deep waste water disposal, but naturally occurring.