Early on Saturday morning, an earthquake with a magnitude of 4.1 rocked central Oklahoma. It had been slightly stronger the previous evening and coincided with a string of minor quakes. Near the Northeast Edmond Gas and Oil Field, approximately 19 miles north of Oklahoma City, the earthquake struck shortly after 5:30 a.m. local time. The U.S. Geological Survey reports that the earthquake, which occurred at a depth of approximately 4.1 miles, was a part of a cluster of many that occurred on Friday and Saturday.
According to a statement released by the Oklahoma Geological Survey on Saturday morning, there have been reports of intense shaking in the vicinity and throughout Oklahoma City. According to state seismologist Jake Walter, there have been roughly 18 earthquakes in the region in the last 12 hours. Linking the dots, Walter continued, the earthquakes occur after a fault that has been located by scientists.
According to him, there has been a surge in earthquake activity in the area lately. Fracking is among the human activities that have contributed to the rise. Smaller seismic activity, frequently noticed by locals, has continued to occur even though the area saw its peak in activity in 2015–16. This activity was caused by wastewater disposal utilized in oil and natural gas extraction that was piped deep below fracking zones. But it doesn’t seem like wastewater has been disposed of in the region recently. “It’s a little bit of a mystery why you’ve had this sudden recurrence of very strong, widely felt earthquakes,” he stated.
Locals shared their experiences with earthquakes on social media, according to The Oklahoman, a USA TODAY Network publication. The epicenter of a 4.3-magnitude earthquake that occurred on Friday night was roughly one mile from the Saturday morning earthquake. Additionally, the USGS detected a 2.7-magnitude earthquake in the region early on Saturday.
The USGS updated the magnitude estimates for the Friday night earthquake from 4.4 to 4.3 and the Saturday morning earthquake from 4.4 to 4.1 on Saturday. State officials advised citizens to practice “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” and to protect items that might tremble during potential powerful aftershocks.
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