Early Saturday morning a 4.7 magnitude earthquake struck about 45 miles east of Oklahoma City. Since it happened around 2am CT, many folks were sleeping and did not feel it. However, later that night, another earthquake struck, but much larger. At 10:53pm CT a magnitude 5.6 quake struck also about 45 miles east of Oklahoma City. This time, not only did people feel it, but it even caused some minor damage.
This is the strongest earthquake to ever hit the state of Oklahoma, according to the Oklahoma Geological Survey. The previous record was a magnitude of 5.5 that occurred back in 1952. By 9am Sunday there had been over 30 aftershocks, including one aftershock that was a magnitude 4.0 at around 3:30am.
Normally Oklahoma has around 50 earthquakes a year (they also average around 57 tornadoes per year), but a burst of earthquakes in Oklahoma City has caused the sharp increase. Researchers said 1,047 quakes shook Oklahoma last year, which prompted the installation of various seismographs in the area. Jessica Turner, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey, said there was no immediate explanation for the sudden increase in seismic activity.
Minor damage was reported at several homes and businesses, but nothing catastrophic. Below is a picture of a chimney that toppled and crumbled into pieces as it went through the roof of a home in Sparks, Oklahoma.
Sources: U.S. Geological Survey, KOCO-TV, CTV
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