Greenbrier Quakes Increase...Facts on Nuclear Facility

Just to set the record straight, I’d like to list some new information about the Greenbrier Swarm this morning…as it’s already been noted, but by a person who apparently felt the need to toss in some unnecessary fear mongering along with their report.  So while my own report is a bit late this morning, rest assured at least mine is accurate and reported without any bias or hidden agenda.

I had already reported the reawakening of the Greenbrier zone after a five day lull, but as of the last two days and up to the time of this article, the zone has been especially active compared to it’s usual 2.0 to 3.0 tremors.  Since my previous report, we’ve had a 3.4, 3.9, 3.2, 3.0, 4.2 and a 3.5 all within 48 hours time.   The 4.2 is not the largest from the area recently.  On February 27, as some of you may recall, we experienced a 4.7 which was felt mildly some 20+ miles out from the center of the quake.  So while the numbers are getting up there, they have been higher previously.   So this isn’t really anything shocking just yet or even out of the ordinary.

The other report I read this morning blew in some concern [and I say that nicely] about the ANO [Arkansas Nuclear One] facility operated by Entergy near Russellville.  Well let me state first and foremost I believe nuclear power is about the stupidest thing in the world and I hate having a reactor this close to me.  However, that said, let me put a little fact checking into motion here.

Russellville is over 40 miles, direct line, from the Greenbrier area.   The plant has been operating without problem since 1974, the year after I was born.  It’s located on a lake, not an ocean.  There are lots of natural barriers such as mountains in between it’s location and the Greenbrier Swarm.  Fears about quakes harming this plant are not altogether practical.  Please keep in mind that Japan’s plant was not taken out by the quake, but received most of it’s problems from the sea water [tsunami] which flooded the plant after the actual quake.  Flooding was the cause, not the quake.  Of course, one caused the other obviously, so you can argue that.  But if you take the ocean tsunami out of the equation, the problem there might not have occurred or at least would have been far less serious, certainly.

My point here, is that a 4.7 quake in Greenbrier was barely felt 20 miles off.  For Russellville to feel it, it’s likely to have to be in the 6.0 + range, and to date, that’s unprecedented.   And beyond that, there is no ocean to produce a tsunami near the facility.

Am I saying no disaster could occur at ANO?  No I’m not.  What I am saying is there’s no need to act like or “report” like ANO was in some sort of danger from a 4.2 quake in Greenbrier…that’s just fear mongering to say it nicely.

I’ll include some links here for you to study:

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkansas_Nuclear_One

http://folkworm.ceri.memphis.edu/recenteqs/Quakes/quakes0.html