5.1 Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Oklahoma City Area

A 5.1 magnitude earthquake struck the Oklahoma City area late Friday night, causing minor damage and leaving no injuries reported. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) confirmed the quake’s location at about 5 miles northwest of Prague, Oklahoma, approximately 57 miles east of Oklahoma City.

Charlotte Brown, Deputy Emergency Management Director of Lincoln County, stated that the damage mainly consisted of items being overturned or shaken from shelves inside homes. She assured that there were no significant damages, just frightened residents.

While the initial earthquake struck at 11:24 p.m. local time, smaller aftershocks continued throughout the next several hours. Residents across the state, from Lawton to Enid to Tulsa, reported feeling the shaking, according to the USGS.

The USGS recorded at least eight smaller tremors following the initial 5.1 magnitude earthquake, ranging in strength from magnitudes 2.5 to 3.4. Being shallow, with a depth of just 3 kilometers (1.8 miles), the earthquake’s proximity to the surface intensified the shaking.

Oklahoma has experienced previous seismic activity, often tied to the underground injection of wastewater from oil and natural gas extraction, particularly in the Arbuckle formation, which includes the Prague area. In response to past earthquakes, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, responsible for regulating the oil and gas industry in the state, has taken action to limit wastewater injection.

Matt Skinner, spokesperson for the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, stated that the epicenter of Saturday’s earthquake was almost exactly the same location as the 5.7 magnitude earthquake that struck Prague in 2011. As a result, the commission has ordered temporary cessation of operation for disposal wells within a 10-mile radius of the epicenter.

In 2017, two more earthquakes occurred near Edmond, just east of Oklahoma City. The first quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 3.7, struck at 2:12 a.m. local time, followed by a second quake with a magnitude of 2.9 at 2:20 a.m.

Oklahoma’s seismic activity remains a concern for residents and authorities in the area, who continue to monitor and take action to mitigate further tremors.