Heart of Tornado Alley shaken by 3.4 magnitude earthquake
EDMOND, Okla. – While many in Oklahoma received a break from severe weather Thursday, a 3.4 magnitude earthquake shook communities in the central part of the state, sending people to social media to figure out what was going on.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake was centered near Edmond, Oklahoma, and happened just before 6 p.m. local time.
There were no initial reports of damage associated with the shaking, which is not uncommon during low-magnitude events.
According to the USGS, quakes with a magnitude of 5.0 or greater usually result in some damage.
EARTHQUAKE SWARM RATTLES OKLAHOMA CITY METRO
The quake was centered very near where an earthquake swarm rattled the state earlier this year.
On Jan. 13, dozens of quakes, with the greatest being a magnitude 4.4, occurred near Edmond, along Interstate 35, on the north side of the metro.
The USGS has linked many of the quakes across the southern Plains to human activities such as 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.
The strongest quake in the state’s history occurred in 2016 and was tied to wastewater injection from oil and gas production.
The 5.8 magnitude earthquake was centered near the town of Pawnee, which is more than an hour’s drive to the northeast of the state capitol.
The event produced moderate damage in north-central Oklahoma, and at least one person was reported to have been injured.
Original article source: Heart of Tornado Alley shaken by 3.4 magnitude earthquake
