The Oklahoma Geological Survey is reporting that over 150 earthquakes took place last week in the state.
According to data from the United States Geological Survey, Oklahoma would only experience three or fewer 3.0 or greater magnitude earthquakes in a year. In the firt two months of 2014, over 25 quakes topped that level.
An earthquake expert Michael Lewchuk says that likely one seismic event can trigger many other events. Last week, a dozen of the earthquakes above 2.5 on the Richter scale all took place around Liberty Lake near Guthrie, Oklahoma.
One local resident said the ongoing quakes impact “like a bomb going off” and that they are causing quakes in the foundations of homes.
It’s not only Oklahoma experiencing quake issues. Kansas governor Sam Brownback has issued an order calling for a public safety study on oil and gas drilling’s connection to quakes. Texas and Arkansas have also been looking into the connection.
A 4.5 magnitude earthquake shook Central Oklahoma on Saturday.
The quake came just weeks after the two-year anniversary of the strongest quake ever recorded in Oklahoma. The quake was followed by two smaller aftershocks later in the day.
Residents say that the quakes are starting to become commonplace in the state after increasing in intensity over the last few years. A restaurant owner said that when the quake struck Saturday afternoon everyone in the restaurant stopped what they were doing but immediately went back to watching a football game on TV after the quake ended.
The quake struck during the nationally televised Oklahoma State-Oklahoma football game in the middle of a field goal attempt.
The quake centered near Arcadia, Oklahoma, about 14 miles northeast of Oklahoma City. The quake was about five miles deep according to a report from the U.S. Geological Survey.
The U.S. Supreme Court dismissed a case Monday, meaning a lower court’s ruling to invalidate an Oklahoma state law restricting abortion drugs will stand.
The Oklahoma law would have restricted the way abortion inducing drugs like RU-486 could be used in the state. Pro-abortion groups sued claiming the law violated previous court ruling regarding how abortion drugs could be dispensed.
The bill would have prevented doctors from using mifepristone, which induces abortions up to the seventh week of pregnancy.
In a related action, pro-abortionists from Texas have filed an emergency appeal with the Supreme Court to block enforcement of Texas abortion law. The appeal goes before Justice Antonin Scalia for consideration.
The insurance commissioner for the state of Oklahoma is telling residents it’s time for them to purchase earthquake insurance.
Commissioner John Doak said that seismic activity experienced in the central part of the state likely will continue. He said that property owners who haven’t purchased policies can suffer quake damage that would seriously hurt their finances.
“Looking into earthquake insurance after your home or business has sustained damage resulting from an earthquake will do little good to help you recover,” Doak wrote in a statement. “Now is the time to protect yourself before the next one occurs.”
A report released last week from the U.S. and Oklahoma Geological surveys suggests that the frequency of quake has risen and continues to rise. Between 1975 to 2008, one to three magnitude 3.0 quakes or larger occurred yearly. From 2009 to 2013, the number was around 40 earthquakes per year.
A fire engulfed a chemical plant in Oklahoma early Thursday, heating pressurized containers and causing several explosions, authorities said.
The Danlin plant in Thomas, Okla., caught fire at 10 p.m. local time (11 p.m. ET) Wednesday, according to fire officials. Continue reading →
Fire consumed a chemical plant west of Oklahoma City overnight Thursday, forcing evacuations but causing no injuries and leaving surrounding areas unscathed, officials said.
The fire and explosions at Danlin Industries in Thomas, Okla., about 85 miles west of the capital, according to Michael Galloway, Custer County emergency management director. Continue reading →
A fire destroyed a chemical plant and caused small explosions near a western Oklahoma town, forcing the evacuation of about a dozen people from nearby homes, but resulting in no injuries, a county emergency management official said on Thursday.
The fire erupted about 10:00 p.m. CDT (0300 GMT) Wednesday at a Danlin Industries facility outside Thomas, Oklahoma, a city of 1,181 people about 90 miles northwest of Oklahoma City. Continue reading →
The National Weather Service on Tuesday confirmed Friday’s night’s massive tornado that struck El Reno, OK, was the second EF-5 twister to strike the Oklahoma City area in less than two weeks.
The width of the tornado was measured at 2.6 miles, the widest tornado in recorded history. Continue reading →
The body of a missing 8-year-old girl was found Monday afternoon in the Deep Fork River in Oklahoma, the 18th confirmed dead from the weekend tornadoes and heavy rain.
The death toll includes seven members of an extended family from Guatemala who sought to hide from a tornado in a storm drain. They were swept away in flash flooding. Continue reading →
Thirteen people are confirmed dead after a tornado outbreak this weekend in Oklahoma including three veteran storm chasers.
Tim Samaras, his son Paul Samaras and Carl Young were featured on the TV show “Storm Chasers” and founded TWISTEX (Tactical Weather Instrumented Stample in Tornadoes Experiment.) The men were killed in El Reno, Oklahoma by an EF-3 tornado that abruptly changed direction and caught them off guard. Continue reading →
