Several small earthquakes have been felt in Arkansas in the past few weeks -- and, some are wondering if this could lead to something bigger. Friday, the governor released $300,000 for equipment to monitor this seismic activity. The $300,000 comes from general improvement funds.

The governor's office has been working to purchase these monitors for some time, because they want to be prepared if a stronger earthquake were to impact Arkansas in the future. In just the past month, these are all of the areas in Arkansas hit by small earthquakes.

"It's uncommon. I haven't observed so many earthquakes in a short period of time, and in high concentrated area," Dr. Haydar Al-Shukri with the UALR Earthquake Center said.

Al-Shukri with the UALR earthquake center says the need for equipment to monitor this activity is necessary. Since all of these areas aren't on the New Madrid fault, seismologists wonder what's causing all of the movement. "With recent activity, it requires us to monitor this area carefully, to see if it can increase or decrease," Al-Shukri said.

That's one of the reasons the governor has released 300 thousand dollars to install six seismic activity monitors across the state. "This is a seismologist's dream come true. I have been requesting these funds for years,” Al-Shukri said.
 
Matt Decample with the Governor's office says geologists will place these monitors where quakes can be best detected.

"If can measure those in great detail and with better equipment, we can better predict what will happen in the future and get a better overall picture of seismic activity in Arkansas," Matt Decample, spokesperson for the governor said.

Decample says they've been working on this for some time. Because in Arkansas, we'll prepare for tornadoes or snow storms, but it's also important to be aware of earthquakes, because the reality is real.

"It's something we don't always think about as Arkansans, but it's a real concern, something we need to be prepared as we can for," Decample said.