San Francisco Shares Risk Of Earthquakes With Kansas City, Midwest Fault Known For Magnitude 8 Quakes
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KPIX 5) -- As the Giants and Royals prepare to face off in the World Series, both the Bay Area and the Kansas City have one thing in common: a risk of earthquakes.
"There's no question, they had in the early 1800s…the largest continental quake occurred on the New Madrid Fault system," said geophysicist Rick Miller of the University of Kansas. "Around (magnitude) 8."
Miller told KPIX 5 that the New Madrid fault system is bigger than the San Andreas and spans six states.
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In California, most scientists believe Mother Nature is behind the shaking in the Golden State. But in this part of the country, it could be man made.
Miller suggests research is showing oil and natural gas extraction through fracking is having some impact and could be behind a fourfold increase in seismic activity.
"We've gone from probably four or five earthquakes in 30 years to four, five earthquakes a month in that area," Miller said.
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