BTW, I know this isn't just me because when I was pulling my driveway, my neighbor was standing in the driveway and I stopped and talked to him and he said he was trying to figure out where the noise was coming from and though it might be coming from the sky, but I disagreed as it just started after the initial quake. My sister is in her room and and could feel them to. There has had to be around 100+ plus of these little booms I have heard. This is crazy.

Panda...No it's not just you. My wife and I also felt numerous aftershocks...it went on for several hours.

Panda...No it's not just you. My wife and I also felt numerous aftershocks...it went on for several hours.

If this represents a change in characteristics of Oklahoma earthquake activity, I wonder if earth scientists would have an opinion on it.

Are you okay Plupan ?Yeah man! I'm good now. :)

Got back from class at OCCC, went to Dairy Queen with mah grandmother, and now working at my dads car lot. I really didn't mind them but they were kind of creepy.

Panda...No it's not just you. My wife and I also felt numerous aftershocks...it went on for several hours.Glad to hear I wasn't going insane. It started with initial earthquake and went on from there. These were very strange though.

Just felt a pretty good one (or at least close) at 5:30am - had to grab my coffee cup before it fell off my desk.

Edmond - East 15th and I-35.

Was just woke up by a quake. I have to say I've never felt an Oklahoma earthquake until now.

That one woke me up in Norman...well I started "hearing it" in a dream and then the better half woke me up. LOL

that one had to be a 4.+, it shook for quite awhile

The dog just sat up in bed and was like wha?

That was a good one! .. over here by Santa Fe & Memorial. Biggest jolt I've felt in a long time. And a slightly smaller jolt immediately following.

Just woke up too, wasn't sure if it was real or not.

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USGS says the one at 5:31am was a 3.5, but I felt like there was a stronger 'aftershock' somewhere around 5:45?

The second one was strong enough it shook the house to the point two door sensors separated enough to set off the house alarm!

2nd one will probably be mid 4-ish. With that, I'm going back to bed. Working these evenings isn't fun. :)

I never felt anything at 5:31. ... Just the two quick jolts and shake at about 5:45-5:50 ... Strange.

I didn't feel the 5:31 one, either. The 5:45 one felt like a jolt and then a wave.

The first one appears to have been epicentered in the heart of Edmond.

4.2 USGS 4.5 Oklahoma GS.

Is that the biggest one yet?

According to the chart above it makes the 9th this year between 4.0 and 4.9.

It may be the highest in magnitude so far this year. But the 2011 one was a 5.6.

Keep the earthquakes coming. Its sad but people are going to have to get hurt before the states choose to finally address the cause.

We had minor damage to our brand new home and about two weeks ago had pretty major cracking (3_4 inch crack) in our neighborhood pool People are beginning to realize there are cost associated with these quakes instead of just Internet me me, s of plastic chairs falling over.

Keep the earthquakes coming. Its sad but people are going to have to get hurt before the states choose to finally address the cause...

So...you're rooting for someone to be hurt?

Not at all. But having the state refuse to research the cause of dozen of daily earthquakes that have been increasing in frequency and strength since 2007 has gone on for too long. If thousands of earthquakes a year isn't a wake up call I don't understand what would be.

There have been dozens of high profile earthquake related descrution on the news over the last few years with St Gregorys towers falling, major foundation and brick damage near epicenters for homeowners and still no action. I can't even begin to imagine the untold loss of millions of dollars with millions of people being forced to make minor repairs to sheetrock, bricks, plumbing -- let alone the millions in cost of insurance riders on people's home policies.

So if the state and industry wants to continue to pretend that nothing is the matter and this events are normal....then as I said...keep the earthquakes coming and it's sad but people are going to have to get hurt before the state chooses to finally address the cause.

For the life of me I can't understand how public opinion at this point is let's continue to do nothing.

Am I correct to infer that this round of quakes was felt along what seems to be a fairly long north-south corridor, but within a relatively narrower east-west breadth?

I woke up just after my normal time this AM to find my cell phone lit up with texts from a family member who lives quite literally just a few miles away (<5) telling of the earthquake, but not a soul in our house was awakened by any of it. We're in SW OKC a few miles SSE of the airport...

Slept through it again... womp.

Earthquake hits during KOCO 5 Morning News | Oklahoma City - OKC - KOCO.com (http://www.koco.com/weather/earthquake-hits-during-koco-5-morning-news/26507518?absolute=true&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=koconews)

The big one at about 5:49 this morning was a 4.5 and the epicenter was located less than a mile from my home. Several knickknacks fell from shelves two broken. Pictures skewered. I don't normally wake up, but this was definitely a house rattler.
C. T.

Is the trampoline OK CT? :D

Was just woke up by a quake. I have to say I've never felt an Oklahoma earthquake until now.

This was the first quake that ever woke me up. Usually I sleep right through them.

The strongest quake was probably near the record breaking 5.6 one. Did they ever stop oil drilling activity there?

The strongest quake was probably near the record breaking 5.6 one. Did they ever stop oil drilling activity there?
The closest rigs to where these epicenters were is a rig off of NW 206th between MacArthur & Meridian, a rig ESE of Chandler, and a rig east of Shawnee, so there is no drilling activity anywhere near these quakes.

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Keep the earthquakes coming. Its sad but people are going to have to get hurt before the states choose to finally address the cause.

We had minor damage to our brand new home and about two weeks ago had pretty major cracking (3_4 inch crack) in our neighborhood pool People are beginning to realize there are cost associated with these quakes instead of just Internet me me, s of plastic chairs falling over.

There's a thread SOMEWHERE ELSE for the politics of the causes of earthquakes.

I don't see how earthquakes are political. It's like saying weather is political.

I don't see how earthquakes are political. It's like saying weather is political.
Because the discussion revolving around the theorized causes of these earthquakes quickly turn into political discussions, which is why earlier in this thread it was requested and agreed upon that this will be strictly an observation thread and the debate of the causes can take place outside of this observational thread.

The closest rigs to where these epicenters were is a rig off of NW 206th between MacArthur & Meridian, a rig ESE of Chandler, and a rig east of Shawnee, so there is no drilling activity anywhere near these quakes.

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Also worth noting: It's not the fracking wells and rigs that is theorized to be causing this. It is the waste water disposal wells. The location of rigs is irrelevant.

The strongest quake was probably near the record breaking 5.6 one. Did they ever stop oil drilling activity there?


The closest rigs to where these epicenters were is a rig off of NW 206th between MacArthur & Meridian, a rig ESE of Chandler, and a rig east of Shawnee, so there is no drilling activity anywhere near these quakes.

How does that mesh with your reality, Bunty?

This issue is obviously not nearly as black and white (or decided) as you make it out to be. I don't have a dog in the fight, but there is obviously more to this issue than the simple way you and others are portraying it. From what I have read from sources who seem to be the most dispassionate and objective, it is probably a perfect storm of a number of colliding factors, of which drilling/wastewater activity is certainly a possible candidate.

Earth's crust laughs at your theories. It does what it wants!

How does that mesh with your reality, Bunty?

This issue is obviously not nearly as black and white (or decided) as you make it out to be. I don't have a dog in the fight, but there is obviously more to this issue than the simple way you and others are portraying it. From what I have read from sources who seem to be the most dispassionate and objective, it is probably a perfect storm of a number of colliding factors, of which drilling/wastewater activity is certainly a possible candidate.
I don't know. That's why I ask questions, even though other people may sharply disagree, because I'm ask the wrong ones.

Even as far away as Tulsa at TV channel 2, a weatherman on camera felt the the earthquake: http://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/early-morning-quakes-shake-oklahoma?autoplay=true

Something that many folk overlook is the fact that Oklahoma is riddled with ancient geologic faults. The Arbuckle mountains are some of the oldest such terrain in the continent, and the entire state once lay at the bottom of a sea. As the tectonic plates have moved over the millenia, they have buckled and fragmented to create fault lines, and essentially all earthquake activity is the result of slippage along those fault lines.

For many years, geology students went on field trips to the Arbuckles to see those ancient faults up close and personal. They may still do so for all I know. It's only logical that for every fault that has been pushed to the surface and made visible, dozens more still exist underground. The plates are all still moving, which means that pressures continue to build until slippage relieves them -- and a quake results.

All of the credible studies that I have seen seem to indicate that wastewater injection has, in at least a few cases, resulted in apparent lubrication of previously unknown faults, allowing existing pressure to trigger slippage a bit more readily. This may, or may not, be the only cause of our current swarm, but could definitely be a contributing factor.

However chaos theory tells us that the flapping of a butterfly's wings can trigger a hurricane on the other side of the planet, so no SINGLE cause of the swarm is likely to exist. We can only hope that the causes are all relatively simple, rather than the swarm being a precursor to a reawakening of the New Madrid fault and a reprise of its 1812 release...

I just think that if Mother Gaia was hell bent on getting back at mankind for acupuncturing her with his drillbits, she would have long ago destroyed us with the mega volcano beneath Yellowstone...

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Well that made for a busy day yesterday. The few clients I have left that don't have EQ coverage called in to get it. Lol

isn't there a moratorium on starting earthquake insurance after a 4.0 shakes the area?

isn't there a moratorium on starting earthquake insurance after a 4.0 shakes the area?

I think it varies by insurance company.

Something that many folk overlook is the fact that Oklahoma is riddled with ancient geologic faults. The Arbuckle mountains are some of the oldest such terrain in the continent, and the entire state once lay at the bottom of a sea. As the tectonic plates have moved over the millenia, they have buckled and fragmented to create fault lines, and essentially all earthquake activity is the result of slippage along those fault lines.

For many years, geology students went on field trips to the Arbuckles to see those ancient faults up close and personal. They may still do so for all I know. It's only logical that for every fault that has been pushed to the surface and made visible, dozens more still exist underground. The plates are all still moving, which means that pressures continue to build until slippage relieves them -- and a quake results.

All of the credible studies that I have seen seem to indicate that wastewater injection has, in at least a few cases, resulted in apparent lubrication of previously unknown faults, allowing existing pressure to trigger slippage a bit more readily. This may, or may not, be the only cause of our current swarm, but could definitely be a contributing factor.

However chaos theory tells us that the flapping of a butterfly's wings can trigger a hurricane on the other side of the planet, so no SINGLE cause of the swarm is likely to exist. We can only hope that the causes are all relatively simple, rather than the swarm being a precursor to a reawakening of the New Madrid fault and a reprise of its 1812 release...

If you look at a topographic or relief map, there is clearly a fault zone that runs roughly between Durant and Ada. You can further tell because the Arbuckles run on a NW to SE axis while the Ouachitas run SW to NE. Is as if both mountain chains closest to this zone have been dragged southward over millions of years. Its my understanding that the Wilzetta (sp?) fault starts roughly around Ada, before going into Seminole and Lincoln County.

If it is something where existing fault lines have been reactivated, I could see OKC and Tulsa having to start retrofitting things like St Louis and Memphis did back when there were real concerns about the New Madrid Fault doing the same thing. Of course now the research suggests that New Madrid may be going to sleep, so go figure.

Quake table is updated. June is so far a slower month on average, but things can always change.

Urbanized,
Sorry, it didn't survive the 1999 tornado. Glad you've got your priorities right!
C. T.
Is the trampoline OK CT? :D

Quake table is updated. June is so far a slower month on average, but things can always change.

Here's hoping nothing shakes it up. :Smiley112

Sigh. :doh:

lol

Urbanized,
Sorry, it didn't survive the 1999 tornado. Glad you've got your priorities right!
C. T.
Aw, man...I have great memories of jumping off of that trampoline into the pool about ten years before that. Something I'm sure you were/are supposed to know nothing about!

25 years ago...crap...

I think one thing we should all agree on is that Oklahoma should follow the Texas example of appointing an official investigative panel. The House Subcommittee on Seismic Activity in the Texas legislature is currently taking testimony from residents in affected areas and from seismologists and other experts. SMU scientists have been provided with USGS equipment for another long-term study on the earthquakes in Texas.

This is no joking matter - we need to find out what is happening and sooner rather than later. Oklahoma should step up to the plate and launch an official inquiry (like Texas) with subpoena power, etc. and find out as much as we can as to what is behind this swarm and what we can do to lessen the impact.

So the Oklahoma Geological Survey and the Oklahoma Corporation Commission are not doing enough?

Here is the report the Oklahoma Geological Survey put out last February: http://www.ogs.ou.edu/pdf/OGS_POSITION_STATEMENT_2_18_14.pdf

Hey, they're getting consistent!

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Hey, they're getting consistent!

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Yep... right on time.

Just had another good shake. Almost the same exact time as the last one. This one happened at 5:53.

They're drilling early these days!

I actually felt the one this morning.
It roused me from my sleep.

nm

I love the lost ogle -

Channel 9 has discovered another ?new? theory about Oklahoma?s earthquakes? | The Lost Ogle (http://www.thelostogle.com/2014/02/24/channel-9-has-discovered-another-new-theory-about-oklahomas-earthquakes/)


A New Theory About What’s Causing Oklahoma’s Earthquakes

Seismologists have been studying the quakes and have offered differing theories about what’s happening. There does seem to be general consensus that oil and gas activity is playing a role in the increased seismicity, but no one can say just how big a role.

One researcher, a Tulsa geologist, is now suggesting something else may be at work — the weather and aquifers.

That’s funny. I can imagine Alex Cameron pitching this story idea in the News 9 production office:


“Yeah, the general consensus is oil and natural gas extraction is playing a role in the increased seismicity in Oklahoma, but let’s ignore that for a second and give attention to a theory that claims the weather is responsible! I doubt the theory has been peer reviewed, published in any journal, and it may be far-fetched, but Oklahomans love weather. Plus, it doesn’t blame oil and natural gas drilling for the problem. That will be great for sweeps!”

Anyway, here’s the theory. It’s basically the opposite of anything you’d see on NOVA:

Where these quakes have occurred,” explained Jean Antonides, “they all have occurred around these aquifers.”

Aquifers are essentially underground reservoirs — a body of permeable rock, through which water can pass easily. There are many in Oklahoma, and the amount of water they contain can be affected by both weather and human activity.

Antonides says his research shows that aquifers near the location of certain earthquakes had been depleted, through both drought and increased human demand, and then suddenly refilled, through intense and heavy rains.

“When you have rainfall amounts of six inches over a few day period,” Antonides pointed out, “these rainfalls cover a thousand square miles — that’s a lot of weight.”

That much new weight – potentially trillions of tons — if it’s along or across a fault, can be enough to cause an earthquake.

“If you change the weight, relative near surface, across that fault — either reducing the weight on one side, loading up the other side or vice versa,” Antonides explained, “that could be the trigger point.”

Antonides’ paper lays out evidence that this hydrologic loading could have triggered, not only the Prague earthquake, but last April’s 4.3 magnitude quake in Luther, a 5.8 M quake in Virginia in 2011, and others. University of Oklahoma research seismologist Austin Holland says he may be right.

Hmmn. Maybe Antonides is onto something. As we all know, “drought followed by sudden rain” is an unusual weather phenomenon that’s rarely seen in the world, much less in Oklahoma. Seriously, other than it seems like every five years, when’s the last time we’ve had a drought followed by a few days of heavy rain? Plus, Oklahoma is one of the few regions in the world with aquifers. Therefore, the sudden rash of earthquakes has to be caused by drought followed by heavy rain and those damn aquifers. Right?

Okay, I’m sorry. I’ve tried drinking the new Kool-Aid flavor Frackelberry Passion. It does strange things to the logic and reason portion of your mind.

In all honesty, I haven’t read Antonides’ paper, but I don’t buy it. Unless, of course, he’s dug up the data on Oklahoma weather cycles and water usage from the past couple hundred years and compared it to historical seismic activity to see if there’s a true correlation. Also, hopefully he’s tested his hypothesis to see if it’s true. You know, typical liberal scientist stuff.

Here’s more from the News 9 story:


Jean J. Antonides • Vice President, Exploration • New Dominion LLC

Jean Antonides is responsible for continuing the growth of the firm’s production of oil and gas using the dewatering method.

Before joining the company in 2008, he worked with Amoco in Houston and before that worked for Elf Aquitaine, Superior Oil, Meridian Oil and Apache Corporation. He served as vice president of geology at Rockford Energy Partners and as exploration manager for Nadel and Gussman. In addition, he has held both geological and geophysical responsibilities working in numerous basins throughout the United States, both onshore and offshore.

Antonides graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Science in Geology.

Oops, my bad. I accidentally posted Antonides’ bio from the website for New Dominion LLC. Shocker: They are an energy company that makes money by extracting fossil fuels. In fact, they are “the leader in harvesting hydrocarbons from conventional resource plays” and see opportunities “where other exploration and development companies see problems due to high water saturation.” Jean has worked for the New Dominion, and at least seven other energy companies, since he received his bachelor’s degree (yes, bachelor’s degree) in geology from the University of Indiana.

But don’t worry about all that. It’s not a conflict of interest or anything. Energy companies are reputable businesses with nothing to gain or lose with the sudden increase of earthquake activity. As their “studies” on global warming prove, they have science and the public’s best interests in mind with all this stuff. They’re not trying to create doubt or controversy to protect their own interests.

If you need proof, take a look at this snippet from a 2012 article about Oklahoma earthquakes in The Environment and Energy News:


Jean Antonides’ voice has taken on a rare mocking tone.

“This is it. This is King Kong,” he says. The vice president of exploration for New Dominion is standing next to his pickup truck on a gravel pad and pointing to a 6-foot metal tower of valves.

“This” is the Wilzetta saltwater disposal well, which happens to bear the name of the fault that ruptured in November. It’s one of three such wells within two and a half miles of the quake’s epicenter. It could fit inside most suburban backyard sheds.

Black plastic pipes stick out of either side, like outstretched arms reaching into the red dirt. Water is coursing into the pipes from the oil wells that surround it in the green and brown fields beyond. From there, it’s flowing down more than 4,000 feet into a formation called the Arbuckle.

To Antonides, who usually speaks in a more earnest tone, it’s silly to think that his company’s well caused the quake.

“That’s people watching too many Superman movies,” Antonides says. “Some individuals pick only the data that serves their purpose.”

Imagine that. Individuals picking data that only serves their purpose. For example, like some energy company executive blaming earthquakes on droughts and aquifers. Don’t worry, though. Earthquakes are safe:

He adds that having earthquakes may not be such a bad thing. Smaller earthquakes such as the one in November might be preventing bigger, more dangerous earthquakes by relieving stress on underground faults.

“What happens if there had not been that release of energy?” he asks. “They’re kind of a savior. They help keep down the big ones.”

Yeah, just like how cigarettes strengthen your lungs and the melting polar ice caps open up more beachfront property, I’m sure the earthquakes are good for us. In fact, they may prevent the big scary ones that you see and feel in the Omniplex earthquake machine. Other scientists who probably have more credentials than a bachelor’s degree from Indiana might disagree and think small earthquakes could set off larger ones, but who cares about that?

Here’s another item from that same Environment and Energy News report. Please note, it was published on July 24, 2012.


Antonides thinks the November earthquake was caused by the weight of extremely heavy rains in the area that fell days before the earthquake after months of drought.

“The volume is just immense. It’s the rate of change,” he says. “That was the trigger point for the Wilzetta fault. That relative weight change was the trigger point.”

So, it looks like this “new theory” that News 9 hyped isn’t so new after all. It’s at least 18-months old. Although they misled us, I don’t blame them. For one, getting ratings during sweeps is much more important than producing accurate scientific news. And two, I bet the PR hack or energy company exec who likely pitched the story sold it as a new theory. Remember, they need to get their client or employer on TV at all costs.

Anyway, I honestly have no clue what’s causing the earthquakes. Maybe they are the result of rain and drought and Lake Arcadia. Then again, perhaps they are caused by natural seismic activity, high-pressure oil and natural gas disposal wells, or magical fairies who grant eternal life. The only theory I believe in is called the “I’m not going to count on energy companies or the local TV news media to figure it out for me.” They care more about money than getting the facts straight.

Keep the earthquakes coming. Its sad but people are going to have to get hurt before the states choose to finally address the cause.

We had minor damage to our brand new home and about two weeks ago had pretty major cracking (3_4 inch crack) in our neighborhood pool People are beginning to realize there are cost associated with these quakes instead of just Internet me me, s of plastic chairs falling over.

Central Oklahoma is going to be one big Super Fund site because there is no way the energy companies are going to be able pay for the long-term cleanup of reassembling bedrock when they finally conclude that fracking (or the wastewater injection resulting from it) is responsible. How on earth would you even begin to repair the damage?

No wonder the government gave Oklahoma to the Indians.

We took it back, and we sell it to the richest bidder.

Jed Castles posted the comparative seismographs from today's tremors and the one from last week - and there was a really interesting similarity in the two - both showed the very small tremor about 20 mins +/- ahead of the bigger one, and the difference in magnitudes were also very similar. One could (albeit naively?) infer that the small one foreshadowed the bigger one, or perhaps the smaller one triggered the bigger one - the small grain of sand moving that, ultimately, made the bigger rock fall :)

Just thought it was interesting.