Earthquakes Rattle Midwest
Oklahoma Earthquakes On The Rise.
Oklahoma was rocked by a 4.7 magnitude earthquake at 9:36 AM on Saturday, Nov. 5, which was followed by a larger 5.6 magnitude quake later that night. The big one could be felt in seven states and caused minor damage to homes, businesses, and one highway. Although no severe injury or damage has been reported, the earthquakes themselves are piquing the interest of geophysicists.
According to the Associated Press, Oklahoma typically has 50 or so small earthquakes in any given year (and even more tornadoes), but what has the U.S. Geological Survey scratching their heads are the stats from 2010. 1,047 quakes were reported that year, a nearly 2,000 percent increase from the average.
Unfortunately the USGS has no definitive answers, leaving those affected to just hope these numbers are just a fluke. One thing the USGS did report was that the quake registered at “almost no depth” and that is why it was felt over such a large area.
The 5.6 quake that hit on Saturday, Nov. 5, was centered near Sparks, Okla. which is 44 miles northeast of Oklahoma City, and was felt in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Northern Texas, and parts of Illinois and Wisconsin. Throughout the evening and into Sunday morning, aftershocks were recorded ranging from 2.7 to 4.0 in magnitude.
