Strong Earthquake Rattles Oklahoma
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Pastor Dale Morgan
Oct 21, 2010, 5:35:39 PM10/21/10
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Great Earthquakes In Diverse Places
Strong Earthquake Rattles Oklahoma
One of the biggest earthquakes ever recorded in Oklahoma shook high-rise buildings in Tulsa but did no major damage - even though it was felt in four states.
At 9:06 a.m. on Oct. 13, an earthquake located five miles northeast of Noble and eight miles southeast of Norman occurred about eight miles underground. Its center was in Thunderbird State Park.
It was felt in Dallas, Wichita, Kan., and Arkansas. No aftershocks were felt on Oct. 13 but officials from the Oklahoma Geologic Society said aftershocks would be be normal and could happened later.
This earthquake did not occur on a known fault, but there are more faults in the rocks in the subsurface of Oklahoma than could possibly be counted.
The USGS reported a moment magnitude 4.3 and the Oklahoma Geological Survey initially reported a magnitude of 5.1 but that was later downgraded to 4.7. There are two common seismological methods for determining the size, or magnitude, of an earthquake, which cannot be measured directly. They often have discrepancies similar to those for this earthquake. It is possible that the magnitude estimates will change over time as further work is done to measure the size of the earthquake.
“Whether it is a magnitude 4.3, magnitude 5.1, or something in between, it is still a small to moderate sized earthquake,” the OGS reported on its website. “ This also makes this earthquake the second or third largest instrumentally recorded earthquake in Oklahoma. Earthquakes of this size have the potential of occurring almost anywhere in Oklahoma at any time.”
The Oct. 13 earthquake is not related to the ongoing Jones Earthquake Swarm in Oklahoma County nor the recently felt earthquakes in Arkansas.
“Instead, it is a reminder that even though Oklahoma is not on a plate boundary, the interior of the North American continent is capable of producing small to large earthquakes,” according to the website. “The probability of a large earthquake causing major damage in Oklahoma is small, but it is a real possibility.”
The number of Oklahoma earthquakes felt in 2009 and 2010 are unusual. According to the OGS, the frequency of earthquakes has temporarily increased in Oklahoma and these earthquakes do not appear to be inconsistent with what might be called normal seismicity for Oklahoma.
The Oklahoma Geological Survey Observatory in rural Tulsa County, south of Leonard, is a comprehensive geophysical observatory which records, identifies, and locates 50 to 167 in Oklahoma each year, and also records at least seven worldwide earthquakes per day.
Gov. Brad Henry said last week that state authorities are in the process of reviewing state infrastructure in the wake of this earthquake in Oklahoma.
“Teams are already in the field examining roads, bridges and other state structures to determine if any damage occurred and whether any additional actions are necessary to protect public safety,” Henry said on Oct. 13.
“There’s certainly no reason to panic, but we want to err on the side of caution and do everything we can to make sure people and structures are safe.”
The governor’s office has been in contact with emergency management, public safety, state transportation and state building officials to assess the impact of the earthquake.
Thus far, no significant damage has been reported.
Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett reported the City of Tulsa is working with the officials of the Tulsa Area Emergency Management Agency in collecting information following the earthquake.
Fire Chief Allen LaCroix said the effects were minimal and we do not anticipate that any underground damage to water or sewer lines has occurred in Tulsa. The evidence would be unusual odors or sanitary sewer drains not flowing properly. Tulsa County has already reported that there is little to no damage reported in Tulsa.
The state reported it has received calls at the State Emergency Operations Center from residents in Bryan, Caddo, Canadian, Cleveland, Coal, Comanche, Garvin, Johnston, Muskogee, Oklahoma, Pontotoc, Stephens and Tulsa counties. All reports confirm individuals felt the earthquake.
A Tulsa radio station on the 55th floor of the CityPlex Tower at 81st Street and Lewis Avenue reported on the air that the building moved during the earthquake. Other high-rise buildings in Tulsa are being checked for structural damage.
Almost no damage has been reported.
Broken windows were reported in Norman and two people needed medical assistance following the quake.
Strong Earthquake Rattles Oklahoma
One of the biggest earthquakes ever recorded in Oklahoma shook high-rise buildings in Tulsa but did no major damage - even though it was felt in four states.
At 9:06 a.m. on Oct. 13, an earthquake located five miles northeast of Noble and eight miles southeast of Norman occurred about eight miles underground. Its center was in Thunderbird State Park.
It was felt in Dallas, Wichita, Kan., and Arkansas. No aftershocks were felt on Oct. 13 but officials from the Oklahoma Geologic Society said aftershocks would be be normal and could happened later.
This earthquake did not occur on a known fault, but there are more faults in the rocks in the subsurface of Oklahoma than could possibly be counted.
The USGS reported a moment magnitude 4.3 and the Oklahoma Geological Survey initially reported a magnitude of 5.1 but that was later downgraded to 4.7. There are two common seismological methods for determining the size, or magnitude, of an earthquake, which cannot be measured directly. They often have discrepancies similar to those for this earthquake. It is possible that the magnitude estimates will change over time as further work is done to measure the size of the earthquake.
“Whether it is a magnitude 4.3, magnitude 5.1, or something in between, it is still a small to moderate sized earthquake,” the OGS reported on its website. “ This also makes this earthquake the second or third largest instrumentally recorded earthquake in Oklahoma. Earthquakes of this size have the potential of occurring almost anywhere in Oklahoma at any time.”
The Oct. 13 earthquake is not related to the ongoing Jones Earthquake Swarm in Oklahoma County nor the recently felt earthquakes in Arkansas.
“Instead, it is a reminder that even though Oklahoma is not on a plate boundary, the interior of the North American continent is capable of producing small to large earthquakes,” according to the website. “The probability of a large earthquake causing major damage in Oklahoma is small, but it is a real possibility.”
The number of Oklahoma earthquakes felt in 2009 and 2010 are unusual. According to the OGS, the frequency of earthquakes has temporarily increased in Oklahoma and these earthquakes do not appear to be inconsistent with what might be called normal seismicity for Oklahoma.
The Oklahoma Geological Survey Observatory in rural Tulsa County, south of Leonard, is a comprehensive geophysical observatory which records, identifies, and locates 50 to 167 in Oklahoma each year, and also records at least seven worldwide earthquakes per day.
Gov. Brad Henry said last week that state authorities are in the process of reviewing state infrastructure in the wake of this earthquake in Oklahoma.
“Teams are already in the field examining roads, bridges and other state structures to determine if any damage occurred and whether any additional actions are necessary to protect public safety,” Henry said on Oct. 13.
“There’s certainly no reason to panic, but we want to err on the side of caution and do everything we can to make sure people and structures are safe.”
The governor’s office has been in contact with emergency management, public safety, state transportation and state building officials to assess the impact of the earthquake.
Thus far, no significant damage has been reported.
Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett reported the City of Tulsa is working with the officials of the Tulsa Area Emergency Management Agency in collecting information following the earthquake.
Fire Chief Allen LaCroix said the effects were minimal and we do not anticipate that any underground damage to water or sewer lines has occurred in Tulsa. The evidence would be unusual odors or sanitary sewer drains not flowing properly. Tulsa County has already reported that there is little to no damage reported in Tulsa.
The state reported it has received calls at the State Emergency Operations Center from residents in Bryan, Caddo, Canadian, Cleveland, Coal, Comanche, Garvin, Johnston, Muskogee, Oklahoma, Pontotoc, Stephens and Tulsa counties. All reports confirm individuals felt the earthquake.
A Tulsa radio station on the 55th floor of the CityPlex Tower at 81st Street and Lewis Avenue reported on the air that the building moved during the earthquake. Other high-rise buildings in Tulsa are being checked for structural damage.
Almost no damage has been reported.
Broken windows were reported in Norman and two people needed medical assistance following the quake.
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