A pair of strong earthquakes were recorded in northwestern Oklahoma late Wednesday night, and nearly two dozen have taken place in the past 12 hours.
The Oklahoma Geological Survey reports a magnitude 4.7 quake just before 10:30 last night about 20 miles northwest of Fairview.
Magnitude 4.7 at 2016-01-06 22:27:27.983000 (CST) 10.2 miles SE of Waynoka; 36.486,-98.741,z=7.1km
— OGS Earthquakes (@OKearthquakes) January 7, 2016
A second 4.7 magnitude quake was registered about a half-mile away roughly 30 seconds later.
Fairview police had no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist Dale Grant told The Associated Press residents in an eight-state area probably felt the tremors.
A number of smaller quakes were recorded in the same area Wednesday evening.
Oklahoma's earthquakes have been linked to the injection of wastewater underground from oil and gas production. State regulators have ordered reducing the volume or shutting down some of the disposal wells.
Earthquakes above magnitude 4 trigger bridge and dam inspections, and the Oklahoma Corporation Commission bases its "traffic light system" that restricts wastewater disposal in seismically active areas on that number as well.
Edmond Uptick Could Lead To Even Stronger Temblor
A Geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Geologic Hazards Science Center in Colorado says the swarm of earthquakes Edmond has seen over the past few weeks could mean a 5.0 magnitude quake is on the way.
Daniel McNamara told The Journal Record the faults below Edmond look similar to the faults underneath Prague. A 5.6 magnitude quake – the strongest ever recorded in Oklahoma – struck that area in November 2011. Two earthquakes greater than 4.0 struck Prague shortly before, and magnitude 4.3 and 4.1 temblors were recorded in Edmond on Dec. 29 and Jan. 1, respectively, Sarah Terry-Cobo reports:
“When we see two magnitude 4s in a single fault, it starts to look like something could rupture,” McNamara said. “The orientation of the fault is very close, nearly identical to Prague.” Edmond’s fault could produce a temblor of the same magnitude, about 5.6, he said. Residents should take precautions to secure heavy furniture, such as bookshelves and large televisions, McNamara said. It’s common to bolt down things in California, and Oklahomans should adopt the same approach, he said. Oklahoma Geological Survey Director Jeremy Boak said he’s not quite as alarmed as McNamara, but did not want to rule out the possibility of more damaging seismic events in the Edmond region. Boak’s agency manages equipment statewide that records quakes, but it isn’t charged with alerting the public of seismic hazards.
Benjamin Floyd is a resident and homebuilder in Edmond who also owns 525 Realty Group. He’s concerned, but says it would take an earthquake stronger than magnitude 6.0 to really cause major structural damage, Terry-Cobo writes:
His construction crews repaired minor damage to mortar in Fairfax Park Estates homes Wednesday. He hasn’t seen any catastrophic structural damage to more than a dozen residences he examined in the neighborhood. He lives in the addition and had only one stone fall from outside his home. But some damage is odd, he said. All the mortar from a stone fireplace was blown off of one home, though none of the stones fell. Floyd said he wasn’t likely to bolt down heavy furniture and appliances in his home. But if stronger earthquakes continue, those precautions are wise, he said.
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