Earthquake swarm rattles Oklahoma City metro
The USGS has previously noted that many quakes that occur throughout the Southern Plains have been tied to human activities such as fracking. The state’s greatest quake occurred on September 3, 2016, and was determined to be a magnitude 5.8.
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OKLAHOMA CITY – A series of earthquakes rattled the Oklahoma City metro on Friday evening, with the largest being a magnitude-4.4.
According to data from the United States Geological Survey, the earthquake swarm started just after 9:30 p.m. local time and, within the first two hours of the event, had already produced nearly a dozen quakes.
The epicenters of the earthquakes were near Edmond, along Interstate 35, on the north side of the metro.
Oklahomans took to social media after the event and described hearing a loud boom before the rattling associated with the minor quake.
Earthquake swarm north of Oklahoma City
(USGS / FOX Weather)
There were no initial reports of damage associated with the shaking, which was expected considering the relatively low magnitude.
Quakes with a magnitude of 5.0 or greater usually result in some damage, the USGS says.
The 4.4-magnitude earthquake occurred only about 4 miles underground, and shaking was reportedly felt as far away as Kansas.
UNUSUALLY STRONG EARTHQUAKE RATTLES LONE STAR STATE
While the magnitude-4.2 quake was not the strongest in the state’s history, it occurred not far from where a 5.8-magnitude earthquake rocked the state in 2016.
The 2016 quake caused moderate damage in north-central Oklahoma, and studies tied the event to wastewater injection from oil and gas production.
As of Friday evening, the USGS said it was still too early to determine whether human activities played a role in the most recent quake.
Magnitude 4.4 quake in Oklahoma
The agency has previously noted that many quakes throughout the Southern Plains have been tied to human activities.
The USGS said fracking - the process of injecting water, sand or chemicals into the ground in order to break up the bedrock to reach oil and gas reserves – can trigger quakes and impact groundwater.