Earthquake number five this week hit Sunday evening in Custer County. The 2.6 magnitude earthquake shook the ground around 6:40 p.m. near the town of Arnold.
Don Blakeman is a geophysicist with the National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colorado and says, "They are just minor earthquakes. Definitely the people that live near them feel them but none of these have risen to the point where we would expect any damage at all. A magnitude 2.6, the one that just happened. Those will be just for a second or two and will be felt more like a jolt."
Does that mean a bigger earthquake is on the way? Blakeman says, "No scientist can predict earthquakes. It is a very difficult problem and no one has figured out a good way to get a handle on it. We can't tell you if there is going to be a larger earthquake tomorrow or if there are going to be no more of these. We simply don't have the science to do that." He says they go on past history and that is something that isn't seen often.
Blakeman says it is a little more common to have a single earthquake here and there but has seen "swarms" in many places. It is not uncommon.
The first earthquake near Arnold was a 3.3 magnitude on April 9th. There were three on April 10th that ranged from 2.5 magnitudes to a 3.7. There have been no reports of damage.