Record Earthquake Hits Oklahoma

Record Earthquake Hits Oklahoma

newsok.com

Ken Luza, engineering geologist at the Oklahoma Geological Survey in Norman, said people felt the quake throughout Oklahoma. A map from the survey shows reports of people feeling the quake from as far away as north Texas.


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Hello! I am a student in OK, near the epicenter of this earthquake. Me and my roommate both woke up to our beds swaying back and forth. About 15 minutes after it happened, I headed to class and literally every conversation I heard was about it. It's really uncommon to be able to feel earthquakes in OK, though there are very very small ones every day. If you type into google "oklahoma earthquake," all ten of the top sites have to do with this event.


I figured someone may find this news interesting in some way.

Did anyone else feel it that lives in the area?

newsok.com
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reply to post by Jibblin


Yes, I'm just outside of Tulsa and felt it. I was sitting at my computer at home and felt the chair and floor vibrating and the walls were kind of popping for just a few seconds. We heard a low rumble, like thunder. I've never felt an earthquake, myself, so it was definitely an interesting experience.

I live very close to downtown Tulsa and this earthquake woke me up this morning around 9:15 a.m. On the second floor of my garage apartment my bed was shaking enough to startle me a little, I got out of bed much quicker than usual. Central Oklahoma has been very seismically active for the past year or so, mostly small earthquakes that cannot be felt, but a few small quakes have been felt in the immediate area of the epicenter. This has to be the strongest EQ in Oklahoma since El Reno in 52'. I have been paying attention the past year or so to all of the new seismic activity in OK and it doesn't really make me feel any better that the quakes are getting stronger.

Good Discussions Here: Arkansas Quakes and Here: 5 Quakes in 2 days.

There is a brand new fault recently discovered in NW Arkansas, and there is a lot of unusual activity from Maryland, across N. Georgia, N. Alabama, N. Mississippi, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. It intersects the New Madrid Fault and it forms a good East-West line across the south, and it also happens to form a sort of arc around the Macondo oil/gas fields.

Very odd seismic activity this summer in the South and Midwest US. I don't know what to make of it.

I am at work just outside of Tulsa and felt it. First time I've felt an earthquake.
Interesting.

Here is the USGS report on the earthquake:

earthquake.usgs.gov...

Here is the USGS list of notable earthquakes in oklahoma:

www.okgeosurvey1.gov...

After looking at the list of notable earthquakes in oklahoma, I do not see how it could be called a record. Though it is one of the larger ones to of happened. Earthquakes are rare here but not so uncommon for one of this magnitude to show up once in a while.

reply to post by LeaderOfProgress


Hello! Thanks for the reply!

By 'Record' I am meaning to say the record for the year. I say record only because it has broken an annual record, not a record for the strongest EVER.

I hope this clarified the title a little bit.

The new fault in Northwest Arkansas is a very interesting geological situation to say the least; but why so far west? I have noticed a sharp increase in earthquake activity here in Central Arkansas; I am located about 3 miles of this week's quake along with hundreds of new natural gas wells that have been drilled here in the last year.

Could this be a symptom of "Frac'ing" techniques or settling of the earth along the fault? One does have to wonder where the rocks go when all of the gas (pressurized shock absorbers) is removed. But the amount of oil / gas wells being put up here is amazing. It has turned this little country place into a major route for all kinds of big trucks hauling equipment. Small two-lane highways are just a little small for all that traffic, but good for local economies.

On the converse, wildlife is being affected as thier habitat is destroyed; affecting migration patterns and adding environmental pressures. Public safety is a concern when the deer are such a concern that they cause accidents and endanger people on the highways. I see signs here that say "Seismic Crew" all over the place; this area is having cluster mini-tremors. It's very interesting but worries exist how all of this might affect the New Madrid Fault; if that goes-off Eastern Arkansas will be all but devastated and the natural gas pipelines all over the area, I hope, are strong enough to withstand it.

National Geographic Source Article

Seismicity Map of Arkansas 1990-2006
Source: USGS

Originally posted by getreadyalready
Good Discussions Here: Arkansas Quakes and Here: 5 Quakes in 2 days.

There is a brand new fault recently discovered in NW Arkansas, and there is a lot of unusual activity from Maryland, across N. Georgia, N. Alabama, N. Mississippi, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. It intersects the New Madrid Fault and it forms a good East-West line across the south, and it also happens to form a sort of arc around the Macondo oil/gas fields.

Very odd seismic activity this summer in the South and Midwest US. I don't know what to make of it.

Sounds like your post should be a thread into itself ;-)

reply to post by trekwebmaster


Thanks for the reply!

Wouldn't it be horrible if somehow these are connected or related to Yellowstone? My mind always goes into apocalyptic mode when these little things happen, because you never know when these things end up being the beginning of something HUGE.

I've only taken one geology course so far, so I am in no way well versed in this subject, but I would find it interesting to study this further and see if this is in any way connected to yellowstone.

We shall see if any more earthquakes occur in OK over the next few months.

reply to post by Jibblin


I agree, it does have a connection with Hot Springs / National Crater of Diamonds, the only place outside of Yellowstone to have active geothermal events. Only state to have diamonds, too.

They are related, indirectly if not directly.

If you think the earthquakes are bad, just wait 'til you see the volcanoes.

I know, sounds ridiculous, but stranger things are known to happen.

reply to post by Jibblin


I live in wichita ks and it was felt all the way here and further up, then all the way to texas. I'm paying attention to this one. The media even admits its off. Google said it was a magnitude of 3, I've heard reports of 4 and 6. It was only 8 miles deep.

2 of my Grandbabies live in Webbersfalls, did they feel it too? Funny I JUST called them before coming online something I have not done in years, they usually call me...

reply to post by Majic


I can believe that. Things are wack here in the midwest right now. I'm still wearing shorts in october in kansas. Were feeling earthquakes and no trees are bare yet. I spent the last 2 years indoors. But I know most years its been cold at this time. I had my first outdoor bday celebration in my life yesterday. Its always been too cold. But its not a glbal thing. Its a galatic thing.

reply to post by HunkaHunka


LOL. One of those links is to my thread from earlier this summer, and several theories were proposed in there.

If I were bold enough to draw a conclusion from it all, it would certainly be a big thread! I am not quite ready to connect the dots at this point in time. Could be related to the oil and gas pumping. Could be related to the supposed underground transit system. Could be related to 2012 and gravitational pulls on the earth. Could be related to typical geothermal and geological cycles that are under-explored and/or entirely misunderstood.

Oklahoma is flat, no faults, no hot springs, no evidence of historical seismic activity at all, however it does have a lot of oil and gas pumping.

Arkansas/Missouri have some ancient "hills." The Boston Mountains and the Ozark Mountains are evidence of previous seismic activity, plus we have the Hot Springs, the sand blows, and the New Madrid activity.

As for all the activity in Alabama and Georgia this year, I have no idea.

Occasionally there is an earthquake in the deep water of the Gulf of Mexico as well.

There is a lot of stuff to bring together into one theory, but it seems like a worthwhile endeavor!

Oklahoma also has ancient mountain ranges as well.
The Wikipedia entry for for the Kiamichi Mountains, a subrange of the larger Ouachita range in southeastern Oklahoma states that they once stood as tall as the modern day Rocky Mountains.
en.wikipedia.org...
Also the entry for the nearby Arbuckle Mountains states they are between 540-440 million years old. en.wikipedia.org...
The Ouachita range extends into Arkansas, whose geology is very interesting. The hot springs and diamond crater lead me to speculate that the region may be on a weak spot in the earths' crust. Maybe it is thinner there? I really do not know but would appreciate any thoughts on the geology of the area. Thanks

reply to post by sumogeek


I have been through the ones in SE Oklahoma that extend into Arkansas, but Oklahoma City is the flatest place I have ever seen in my whole life! Western Oklahoma and Western Kansas are table-top flat!

Still, there is much we don't know about the Earth. Perhaps there is some 100 million year cycle that we are beginning to enter? Maybe plate tectonics is a flawed theory and something else is at work?

Another report from Tulsa,

At first I thought that I moved wrong in my creepy old recliner but my laptop and other things started shaking as well. I blew it off until getting tweets from others in this area asking if we just had an earthquake. The dogs next door were barking before the quake but they bark 24/7 anyway. My cats could care less what was going on.