Dillsburg, Pa. - Residents who want to know why small earthquakes continue to rumble in the Dillsburg area of northern York County attended an informational meeting Wednesday night.

Experts told the residents they have been studying the tremors for more than a year now and have counted at least 800 quakes since October 2008.

Charles Scharnberger, Millersville University professor emeritus of geology, says fracturing rock is to blame. He says a lot of earthquake activity is cyclical, and it can take years for stress to build up enough to cause them.

But Scharnberger says residents shouldn't worry about a stronger and more damaging earthquake, since there are no fault lines in the area. He says the quakes on the east coast occur where different types of rock intersect.

Experts said weather might be a factor, since they've noticed more shocks after it rains. Jeri Jones of Jones Geological Services says higher than average rainfall collecting in the water table might be triggering the movement of rock.

"The earthquakes are becoming more frequent, a bit larger in size. Alarming, really. So I was kind of curious about the research they've done," said Carroll Township resident Jay Myers.

Experts are not sure how much longer the tremors will last, but suggest the seismic activity is not leading up to a massive earthquake.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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