Current:Home > MyOklahoma jarred by 5.1 magnitude earthquake-LoTradeCoin
Oklahoma jarred by 5.1 magnitude earthquake
View Date:2024-12-23 16:25:37
A 5.1 magnitude earthquake shook an area near Oklahoma City late Friday, followed by smaller quakes during the next several hours, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
No injuries were reported and damage appeared to be minimal, mostly items overturned or shaken from shelves inside homes, according to Lincoln County Deputy Emergency Management Director Charlotte Brown.
"Nothing significant ... nothing other than lots of scared people," Brown said.
The earthquake struck at 11:24 p.m. local time and was centered about 5 miles northwest of Prague, Oklahoma, about 57 miles east of Oklahoma City, the agency said.
Residents across the state from Lawton to Enid to Tulsa reported feeling the shaking to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The initial earthquake was followed by at least eight smaller temblors through Saturday morning, ranging in strength from magnitude 2.5 to 3.4, according to the geological survey.
The earthquake was shallow — just 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) deep, according to the the U.S. Geological Survey — and temblors that hit close to the surface can make the shaking more intense.
At least six earthquakes, including two greater than magnitude 4, were recorded near another Oklahoma City suburb in January. In April, a magnitude 4 earthquake was among a series of six that struck the central Oklahoma town of Carney, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northeast of Oklahoma City.
A 5.7 magnitude earthquake struck Prague in 2011, about 60 miles south of the state's strongest recorded earthquake site in Pawnee, which registered a magnitude 5.8 in 2016.
Thousands of earthquakes have been recorded in Oklahoma in recent years, many linked to the underground injection of wastewater from oil and natural gas extraction, particularly in what is known as the Arbuckle formation that includes the area around Prague.
The epicenter of the Saturday earthquake was nearly the exact spot of the epicenter of the 2011 quake, according to Matt Skinner, spokesperson for the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, which regulates the oil and gas industry in the state.
"That was one of the early areas where action was taken" to limit the injection of wastewater, said Skinner.
"Disposal wells within 10 miles of the quake" must stop operating temporarily, Skinner said.
The corporation commission has directed several producers to close some injection wells and reduce the volumes in others as a result of the quakes.
In 2017, the U.S. Geological Survey recorded two earthquakes that struck near a central Oklahoma town. Both temblors hit just east of the Oklahoma City suburb of Edmond. The first quake had a preliminary magnitude of 3.7 and struck at 2:12 a.m. local time. The second quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 2.9, followed soon after, hitting at 2:20 a.m. local time.
There were no immediate reports of injury or severe damage.
- In:
- Oklahoma
- United States Geological Survey
- Earthquake
veryGood! (8145)
Related
- American arrested in death of another American at luxury hotel in Ireland
- How RuPaul's Drag Race Judge Ts Madison Is Protecting Trans Women From Sex Work Exploitation
- Cook Children’s sues Texas over potential Medicaid contract loss
- 'It took approximately 7-8 hours': Dublin worker captures Eras Tour setup at Aviva stadium
- Saving for retirement? How to account for Social Security benefits
- Celebrate With Target’s 4th of July Deals on Red, White, and *Cute* Styles, Plus 50% off Patio Furniture
- Nicole Scherzinger Explains Why Being in the Pussycat Dolls Was “Such a Difficult Time
- Nancy Silverton Gave Us Her No-Fail Summer Party Appetizer, Plus the Best Summer Travel Tip
- Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger welcome their first son together
- Air tankers attack Arizona wildfire that has forced evacuations outside of Scottsdale
Ranking
- Biden, Harris participate in Veterans Day ceremony | The Excerpt
- Supreme Court rejects Steve Bannon's bid to remain out of prison while appealing conviction
- Man convicted of murder in death of Washington police officer shot by deputy sentenced to 29 years
- What to know about Oklahoma’s top education official ordering Bible instruction in schools
- Up to 20 human skulls found in man's discarded bags, home in New Mexico
- Air tankers attack Arizona wildfire that has forced evacuations outside of Scottsdale
- Sheriff says man kills himself after killing 3 people outside home near Atlanta
- Amazon is reviewing whether Perplexity AI improperly scraped online content
Recommendation
-
Food prices worried most voters, but Trump’s plans likely won’t lower their grocery bills
-
8 homeless moms in San Francisco struggled for help. Now, they’re learning to advocate for others
-
Minivan slams into a Long Island nail salon, killing 4 and injuring 9, fire official says
-
Doug Burgum vetoed anti-LGBTQ measures while governor. Then he started running for president
-
John Krasinski named People's Sexiest Man Alive for 2024
-
Biden struggles early in presidential debate with hoarse voice
-
Sex Lives of College Girls’ Pauline Chalamet Is Pregnant, Expecting First Baby
-
Americans bought 5.5 million guns to start 2024: These states sold the most