The three earthquakes that shook the state during the past two weeks caused some Oklahomans to wonder if they should be alarmed.
Oklahoma has many earthquakes that go unnoticed every year because they are so small, said Kenneth Luza, an engineering geologist at the Oklahoma Geological Survey in Norman. The recent earthquakes reached magnitudes of up to 3.4 on the Richter scale, he said.
“The average magnitude for an earthquake in Oklahoma is around 2.4, which is a very small earthquake,” Luza said.
These earthquakes are not uncommon and are not a cause for alarm, he said.
The first earthquake occurred Jan. 28 in Grady County, the second on Jan. 29 in Lincoln County near Chandler, and the third on Feb. 3 in Cole County in the town of Colgate, Luza said. Grady County is approximately 40 miles southwest of Cleveland County, Lincoln County is 55 miles northeast of Cleveland County, and Cole County is 200 miles northeast of Cleveland County.
The major areas for earthquakes in Oklahoma include the fault line between Norman and Pauls Valley, the Canadian County area, including El Reno and Mustang, and the Arkoma basin area in the southeastern part of the state, Luza said. The fault between Norman and Pauls Valley is the most active in the state.
“Oklahoma averages around 50 earthquakes a year,” Luza said. “Usually one or two are reported felt earthquakes, so it is unusual to have three felt earthquakes within two weeks of each other.”
These earthquakes do hardly any damage and only last seconds, he said.
“Windows and dishes might rattle but that is it,” Luza said.
Because the earthquakes are so small, geologists locate them with instruments, he said.
Earthquakes as small as 1.5 on the Richter scale can be felt depending on surrounding conditions, Luza said.
The largest earthquake in Oklahoma’s history occurred in April 1952. It reached a magnitude of 5.5 and was felt from Des Moines, Iowa to Austin, Texas.
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PogoPalOj 2 years, 2 months ago
Back about fifteen years ago there was 4.0 earthquake in Lawton. I didn't even realize it because down here we are used to Fort Sill firing all the time. The boom boom of the shells often makes the ground shake. Im not sure we would notice unless it was a big one.