HARPER, Kan. (AP) At least eight earthquakes have shaken southern Kansas this week, with the largest cracking walls.
The earthquakes occurred the same week that a panel commissioned by Gov. Sam Brownback announced there isn’t enough evidence to link recent quakes to oil and gas exploration in the region. The group recommended more monitoring.
The U.S. Geological Survey reports that this week’s largest earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 4.4 when it struck just after 1 p.m. Thursday about seven miles southeast of Harper. Another quake that struck nearby about 30 minutes later had a preliminary magnitude of 3.4.
Interim Kansas Geological Survey director Rex Buchanan says four other earthquakes rocked the state Tuesday and that at least two were recorded Wednesday. All but one of them occurred in Harper County.
