An earthquake centered beneath the western edge of Greers Ferry Lake knocked pictures off of walls in Fairfield Bay and startled several residents into seeking shelter Wednesday afternoon, authorities said.
The quake was magnitude 3.8 and occurred at 4:19 p.m., said Scott Ausbrooks, the Arkansas Geological Survey's geohazards supervisor. Its epicenter was 1.7 miles beneath Greers Ferry Lake near the Cleburne and Van Buren county lines on an active fault, he said.
There have been at least 10 other area temblors in the past six years, but Wednesday's shaking was the largest recorded there, Ausbrooks said.
More than 40 people reported feeling the earthquake in central Arkansas on the U.S. Geological Survey's website.
Dozens called the Fairfield Bay Police Department to report the quake, as well, said Aubrey Lockard, a dispatcher at the department. The quake was centered about 3 miles southeast of the Van Buren County town.
"It shook our whole building," Lockard said. "There was a lot of shaking, and it lasted for a while."
There were no reports of injuries or structural damage, but Lockard said several residents reported that pictures were knocked off walls.
Ausbrooks said a person who recently moved to the area from California reportedly crawled under a dining room table immediately when the quake began.
"It was strong enough for them to go into their earthquake-preparedness plan," he said.
Others ran from their homes, he said.
An area south of Fairfield Bay in Faulkner County saw hundreds of earthquakes about two years ago after natural-gas drilling companies shot wastewater into injection wells. Ausbrooks said the quakes were generated by the high pressure of the wells.
He said he didn't know if Wednesday's earthquake could have been caused by additional weight at Greers Ferry Lake. Runoff from heavy rains last week caused the lake to rise, but levels dropped from 465 feet last week to 463 feet Wednesday.
"It was a very shallow earthquake," Ausbrooks said. "There are reservoir-induced earthquakes, but most happen within the first few years of filling a lake. This was on an active fault, so it could be a natural earthquake.
"We'll continue looking at this one."
State Desk on 06/08/2014