According to KFOR, Todd Halihan, a researcher with OSU, said, “It’s unclear exactly how high we might go, and the predictions are upper 5-6 range for most things that I’ve seen”. Kansas moved quickly to limit volume, while Oklahoma concentrated on the depth of the disposal. They’re also among the about 700 in a 15,000-square-mile “Area of Interest” created by the commission to address earthquakes in the area near Pawnee.
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“EPA decides on the wells in Osage County”. And while much remains unknown, government scientists said in March that disposal wells have caused an increased risk for “induced” earthquakes in large areas of the country. Since mid-2015, the state has ordered operators of some to reduce the volume of wastewater injected, in the hope of reducing earthquakes.
For comparison, the two highest-magnitude quakes in the states registered almost 8 on the Richter scale in 1811 and 1812 in the New Madrid, Missouri, area.
Kansas Geological Survey Director Rex Buchanan says there has been a change in the seismic activity in Kansas and Oklahoma. Saturday’s was 3.7 miles deep, compared with 3.1 miles in 2011. East of the Rocky Mountains, where the earth’s crust is older and more stable, earthquakes can be felt a farther distance from their epicenter compared to west of the Rockies, where the younger crust and active faults absorb the energy of earthquakes. Most of those have been just single tremors. The plant continued operating Saturday, but station personnel increased monitoring of plant equipment, per the plant’s policy.
Officials say local, county, state, and federal agencies were notified of the event.
The authorities in Oklahoma have shut down 37 wastewater wells used by the fracking industry to extract oil and gas after a 5.6-magnitude natural disaster rocked the area on Saturday, equaling the biggest quake to hit the state.
According to KFOR, video from an outside and an inside camera at Oklahoma State University’s campus store show the effects when the quake hit.
Out of fear for aftershocks, or another quake, they’re forced to sleep in their mobile home in the meantime. No major damage was reported, and there was one minor injury. He was later released from the hospital.
At about 7:00 am Saturday morning (local time), things moved again: a magnitude 5.6 quake struck near Pawnee, Oklahoma, northeast of Oklahoma City.
KVOE reports (http://bit.ly/2bKgNRo ) the plant was shut down Friday by a water leak. “It rocked my house like a rubber band. It was just moving” she said. It was a 4.8 Magnitude centered south of Conway Springs, KS, and was felt from Nebraska City to Omaha.
Frazee said they haven’t noticed any damage from other quakes, but they keep an eye out for damage because of the building’s age. Saturday’s quake matches the strongest recorded tremor ever to have hit the area, which occurred in 2011.
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation inspected roads and 180 bridges within a 30-mile radius of the epicenter and says all were found to be safe.
Randall’s office reported damage to buildings and asked people not to come to the city so roads would be clear for emergency vehicles if needed.
The jolt rattled a wide area of the Great Plains, including Missouri, Kansas, Texas, Arkansas, Nebraska and Iowa. The quake was 3.7 miles deep, the United States Geological Survey reported, according to the Associated Press.
Because the quake struck at a relatively shallow depth of around 4 miles, the tremor was also felt by people in Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Texas, according to the Associated Press.
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