WTEN: Albany, New York News, Weather, Sports - Small quakes shake Capital Region

Small quakes shake Capital Region

BERNE, N.Y. -- Believe it or not, there has been a cluster of small earthquakes in the town of Berne recently - eight in the last few days

Just Tuesday morning, two quakes, with a magnitude close to 2.0, hit at around 4:00am.

Very few people felt them, but geologists at the New York State Museum say they're becoming more frequent even though there is no fault line near upstate New York.

"There is stress, like a twisted up rubber band still in the rocks from hundreds of millions of years ago and that's gradually releasing over time," says Bill Kelly, Director of the New York State Geological Survey.

In fact, Berne has had two dozen earthquakes in the last year.

Geologists are not sure why the area has been so active, but they are certainly keeping a close eye on the situation.

For maps, information and more on the earthquakes, visit the USGS site here: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsus/Maps/US2/42.44.-75.-73_eqs.php