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Plutonic Panda
01-09-2016, 01:11 AM
Might have to start making these monthly.

http://okcfox.com/news/oklahoma-earthquakes/ogs-director-says-oil-and-gas-activity-to-blame-for-quakes

d-usa
01-12-2016, 10:28 AM
Well, looks like Edmond is doing the Edmond thing:

Edmond residents file earthquake lawsuit against 12 oil companies | News OK (http://newsok.com/edmond-residents-file-earthquake-lawsuit-against-12-oil-companies/article/5471984)

Plutonic Panda
01-12-2016, 02:48 PM
Well, looks like Edmond is doing the Edmond thing:

Edmond residents file earthquake lawsuit against 12 oil companies | News OK (http://newsok.com/edmond-residents-file-earthquake-lawsuit-against-12-oil-companies/article/5471984)

I posted this in the political discussion thread, but I agree with this lawsuit actually.

jompster
01-12-2016, 07:14 PM
I'm torn on this one. I agree that the oil companies should shoulder liability to some extent, but to what extent? While studies have been done and articles written describing how waste water injection is partially to blame for the increased shaking, can the residents prove that ALL of the quakes are attributable to the operation? I think it's kind of evident that the injections kick-started this, it's hard to prove exactly how many are due to this and how many are due to normal geological occurrences (like the increased water levels in Arcadia). I'm afraid they're going to drain their savings fighting an uphill battle.

zookeeper
01-12-2016, 07:56 PM
I'm going to do the same as PluPan and repost this. It never belonged in the political thread anyway.
This is very important to me.

There's no question, in at least my mind, that the USGS has known for a very long while now that Oklahoma is at a greater risk than has been publicly discussed. Dan McNamara with the USGS (he's in charge of keeping the eagle eye on Oklahoma's quake situation) has stressed lately that the unknown fault lines, that were not even known about until the recent reactivation, have no "upper limit" until there can be more research. Again - think on this - they hesitate to talk to the press and give "upper limits" on these newly discovered fault lines - because they don't know. They already discussed in early 2014 that there's nothing that could stop the situation then from producing a 6.0 quake and things are worse now.

Consider:

* A magnitude 5.6 quake, just like the 2011 quake, under a densely built populated area - in Oklahoma - could be "devastating." Words from USGS - not mine.

* A magnitude 5.6 quake is equivalent to nearly 4000 tons of TNT - 2000 times stronger than the Oklahoma City bombing.
(A thought experiment: put that same awful Ryder truck out 25 miles NNE of Shawnee at the epicenter of our 2011 quake and you wouldn't have seen much damage. Now, imagine a quake 2000 times stronger than the bombing near downtown Oklahoma City knowing what the truck bomb did.)

* This new fault line was unknown just a month ago. They cannot put an "upper limit" on a potential large earthquake. But, according to McNamara, for that fault to be producing quakes the size we're having now does not bode well for the NEAR future.

* A hypothetical 6.6 earthquake would be ten times stronger than our 5.6 in 2011.
This is why these Oklahoma quakes worry the professionals. Oklahoma quakes have far more damage potential in populated areas because of our building codes and materials. Damage equivalency in a populated area with same-magnitude quakes in California can't really be made - nobody knows. And remember, another 5.6 under a populated area would be bad enough.

* This latest unknown fault line inside the metropolitan area (Edmond) is a strike-slip fault. The waste injection has literally "greased the skids."

A seismic researcher personally told me that there are so many unknowns in this Oklahoma swarm with reactivated fault lines, etc. (and earthquakes in general) that Donald Rumsfeld's famous risk management quote is actually framed in this researcher's office. If you don't remember, it's quite brilliant really in assessing any risk management:

"Reports that say that something hasn't happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns – the ones we don't know we don't know. And if one looks throughout the history of our country and other free countries, it is the latter category that tend to be the difficult ones."
- Donald Rumsfeld - 12 February 2002

It's time to get serious - state government, city governments, media, schools, business, individuals. As many of us were recently told, "It's not alarmist at all - it's a new and dangerous reality - unthinkable not very long ago. But, here we are."

Questor
01-13-2016, 12:18 AM
I'm torn on this one. I agree that the oil companies should shoulder liability to some extent, but to what extent? While studies have been done and articles written describing how waste water injection is partially to blame for the increased shaking, can the residents prove that ALL of the quakes are attributable to the operation? I think it's kind of evident that the injections kick-started this, it's hard to prove exactly how many are due to this and how many are due to normal geological occurrences (like the increased water levels in Arcadia). I'm afraid they're going to drain their savings fighting an uphill battle.

This is the exact same argument that the cigarette companies made 30 years ago... "Smoking doesn't cause cancer. Oh wait, it does? Well, you can't prove this particular cigarette from that particular company caused your specific cancer."

In that case the government sued the entire industry, took a huge chunk of money from them, and set it aside to help the very problem they caused.

So here's a far more quickly working idea: Tax them all. Use the tax funds to setup a giant rainy day fund that supplements insurance company escrows when unprofitable. Pay benefits directly to homeowners who aren't fully compensated. Enact regulations to stop the really crazy stuff like injecting right on top of a fault line. Give the Corporation Commission actual power instead of their current ability to "strongly suggest" something and then when that doesn't work deal with a multi year ordeal in the court system.

Jersey Boss
01-13-2016, 10:06 AM
^^^^ This. Also add that the CC be made a non partisan office with a complete ban on any regulated industry being able to make campaign contributions or gifts to any sitting member. I would also like to see a provision that members must not have been employed in regulated industries 5 years or less prior to holding office.

jompster
01-13-2016, 01:42 PM
This is the exact same argument that the cigarette companies made 30 years ago... "Smoking doesn't cause cancer. Oh wait, it does? Well, you can't prove this particular cigarette from that particular company caused your specific cancer."

In that case the government sued the entire industry, took a huge chunk of money from them, and set it aside to help the very problem they caused.

So here's a far more quickly working idea: Tax them all. Use the tax funds to setup a giant rainy day fund that supplements insurance company escrows when unprofitable. Pay benefits directly to homeowners who aren't fully compensated. Enact regulations to stop the really crazy stuff like injecting right on top of a fault line. Give the Corporation Commission actual power instead of their current ability to "strongly suggest" something and then when that doesn't work deal with a multi year ordeal in the court system.

Very true... I agree with you 100% on that idea.

Just the facts
01-13-2016, 02:56 PM
Unknown fault lines? What exactly were all the O&G Geologist doing? They don't know what a fault line looks like?

C_M_25
01-13-2016, 09:45 PM
Let's just hope these don't keep moving south regardless of what triggers them.

C_M_25
01-13-2016, 09:49 PM
Unknown fault lines? What exactly were all the O&G Geologist doing? They don't know what a fault line looks like?

You don't see fault lines unless you have special subsurface data. It doesn't usually cover large areas. These faults are generally small, so detecting them is difficult. Also, the lines you see on the recent maps are just an interpretation with really sparse data. Faults aren't usually straight line segments that abruptly start and end...

C_M_25
01-13-2016, 09:50 PM
Unknown fault lines? What exactly were all the O&G Geologist doing? They don't know what a fault line looks like?

You don't see fault lines unless you have special subsurface data. It doesn't usually cover large areas. These faults are generally small, so detecting them is difficult. Also, the lines you see on the recent maps are just an interpretation with really sparse data. Faults aren't usually straight line segments that abruptly start and end...

LocoAko
01-20-2016, 01:46 PM
IF (big if) the current rate of M4.0s for this year keeps up, Oklahoma will be on track for 140-150 of them in 2016. :eek:

https://twitter.com/...f_src=twsrc^tfw (https://twitter.com/DanielEMcNamara/status/689561689797189632/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CZHQs_QUAAAoPvR.png

Plutonic Panda
01-28-2016, 06:26 PM
Arkansas sets example in responding to earthquake threats from fracking | Arkansas Blog | Arkansas news, politics, opinion, restaurants, music, movies and art (http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2015/04/25/arkansas-sets-example-in-responding-to-earthquake-threats-from-tracking)

TheTravellers
01-29-2016, 10:10 AM
Arkansas sets example in responding to earthquake threats from fracking | Arkansas Blog | Arkansas news, politics, opinion, restaurants, music, movies and art (http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2015/04/25/arkansas-sets-example-in-responding-to-earthquake-threats-from-tracking)

Very nice! If only our lawmakers weren't so deep in the wells that they can't see daylight and could do this, it's not that hard... *And* they did it almost a *year* ago!

Bellaboo
01-29-2016, 12:40 PM
I heard Mickey Thompson talking about the Arkansas quakes the other day. The big difference is that Arkansas has a very small oil field where this was occurring. Oklahoma has much larger footprint.

I still say the problems are due to the high water volume from the Mississippi Lime. They need to pipe it to SWD wells to the southwest, away from the faults.

Urbanized
02-02-2016, 11:11 AM
I immediately tune out articles and commentary about induced seismicity that use "fracking" in the title or prominently in the article itself. Using that term betrays either an agenda, or ignorance regarding the differences between fracking and injection wells, or both. I have no connection whatsoever to the industry, but if you pay even casual attention you should know the differences. I prefer to get my information from people who actually know more than I do.

Just the facts
02-02-2016, 12:50 PM
You don't see fault lines unless you have special subsurface data. It doesn't usually cover large areas. These faults are generally small, so detecting them is difficult. Also, the lines you see on the recent maps are just an interpretation with really sparse data. Faults aren't usually straight line segments that abruptly start and end...

My understanding is that oil companies have some pretty elaborate 3D imaging technology. Is it that they can't see them or can see them but aren't looking for them.

baralheia
02-02-2016, 02:27 PM
I immediately tune out articles and commentary about induced seismicity that use "fracking" in the title or prominently in the article itself. Using that term betrays either an agenda, or ignorance regarding the differences between fracking and injection wells, or both. I have no connection whatsoever to the industry, but if you pay even casual attention you should know the differences. I prefer to get my information from people who actually know more than I do.

Holy cow yes this. I will admit I do have a connection to the industry, by way of my stepfather, but seriously. Fracking is only incidental to the earthquake problem - a frac'd well does NOT cause earthquakes, nor does the process of hydraulic fracturing. There are legitimate environmental concerns from this process, but earthquakes aren't one of them. The process does generate waste water that must be recycled or disposed of - typically by injecting it deep underground. However, the amount of frac water being disposed of doesn't hold a candle to the sheer volume of salty brine coming out of many wells that has to go somewhere. I'm pretty sure it's been mentioned elsewhere, but some wells produce as many as 10 barrels of saltwater for every barrel of oil. That's a TON of water that needs to go somewhere - and it gets injected back into the ground. Fracking isn't the cause of quakes - it's wastewater injection.

Just the facts
02-02-2016, 02:58 PM
When I hear someone say 'fracking' I take it to mean the entire process from breaking up the rock to disposing of the waste by-products, even if we all know it is the disposal part causing the problem. Kind of like drunk driving includes both drinking and driving, eventhough driving is the problem part of it.

As for wastewater volumes from different drilling types, I think it is safe to say that eartquakes increased with the adoption of widespread fracking. Maybe there is something in fracking wastewater that isn't in other wastewater.

jerrywall
02-02-2016, 03:00 PM
I heard Mickey Thompson talking about the Arkansas quakes the other day. The big difference is that Arkansas has a very small oil field where this was occurring. Oklahoma has much larger footprint.

I still say the problems are due to the high water volume from the Mississippi Lime. They need to pipe it to SWD wells to the southwest, away from the faults.

Shh.. don't point out differences between the states. That just proves you're in the pocket of the O & G industry.

Urbanized
02-02-2016, 03:06 PM
^^^^^^^
So produced water doesn't occur in non-fracced wells? I'll answer that for you...it most certainly does. Produced water is almost entirely naturally occurring. The thing that has changed is that injection wells have now become the preferred method of disposal. As in, let's put it back down there where it came from. The problem seems to come from the fact that some injection wells are too deep, inject too fast, and too near some fault lines. Those things are of course correctable. But "fracking" has just become shorthand among people who want leverage against oil and gas production in general. The way it is being used is intellectually dishonest, or at the very least, ignorant. And by the way, fraccing has been going on for something approaching 70 years.

baralheia
02-02-2016, 03:42 PM
When I hear someone say 'fracking' I take it to mean the entire process from breaking up the rock to disposing of the waste by-products, even if we all know it is the disposal part causing the problem. Kind of like drunk driving includes both drinking and driving, eventhough driving is the problem part of it.

As for wastewater volumes from different drilling types, I think it is safe to say that eartquakes increased with the adoption of widespread fracking. Maybe there is something in fracking wastewater that isn't in other wastewater.

I totally get where you're coming from, but the thing is, fracking still isn't the main problem here. First, there are two main sources of wastewater: Produced water, and fracking fluid. Fracking fluid is injected into a well under high pressure to frac the rock, in order to expose and produce more oil/gas. Produced water, on the other hand, is naturally-occurring and actually comes from the oil-bearing formation. Practically all oil and gas wells will produce water over their lifetimes - some much more so than others. For instance, in 2007, American oil and natural gas wells produced 5 million barrels of oil and 67 billion cubic feet of natural gas a day, according to researchers at the Argonne National Laboratory. These same wells also produced 55 million barrels of water each day. That's been estimated as being something close to 7.5 barrels of water for each barrel of oil, or 260 barrels of water for every million cubic feet of natural gas. (source:Water is the biggest output of U.S. oil and gas wells: Kemp | Reuters (http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-shale-water-kemp-idUSKCN0J223P20141118)) Those numbers are from the very beginning of the shale oil revolution, and are almost certainly much higher today. Petroleum production produces a staggering amount of water that vastly exceeds the amount of water recovered from a freshly frac'd well.

The cause-and-effect relationship is not nearly as direct as it seems at first blush. Yes, earthquakes increased with greater use of hydraulic fracturing - but the greater use of fracking came about because of the higher number of wells being drilled, and all these new wells just added to the volume of produced water that needed to be disposed of. Here's a very, very good article from Time Magazine that explains why the distinction between fracking and wastewater injection is important: Deep Disposal Wells From Drilling?Not Fracking?Linked to Quakes | TIME.com (http://science.time.com/2013/07/12/deep-disposal-wells-from-oil-and-gas-drilling-linked-to-earthquakes/)

Just the facts
02-02-2016, 03:52 PM
Just to be clear, I totally understand that the earthquakes are being caused by the injection of wastewater, but why did this start after the widespread use of fracking as an extraction method if fracking water is a small fraction of the total?

And saying we have been fracking for 70 years is just as disingenuous as anything from the opposition. It is like saying we have been landing on the moon since the 60's.

Let's ponder this - let's say every drop of water from every fracked well had to be stored in an above ground tank and not one drop could be injected. Would earthquakes from injection eventually drop back to normal historic levels?

baralheia
02-02-2016, 05:13 PM
Fracking and wastewater disposal both *have* been in widespread use for quite a long time. There's absolutely nothing disingenuous about that. What many see as the "widespread use of fracking" is really just an increase in the number of new and active wells that are being drilled and then frac'd to maximize output. There has been an explosion in the number of new wells drilled and frac'd since 2007, greatly increasing the number of active wells. A significantly greater number of active wells produces a significantly greater amount of produced water on a continuing basis that must be disposed of - and that's where this large volume of water comes from.

You also have to consider the wells themselves. Most disposal wells within this state inject water into the Arbuckle Formation, which is very, very deep under the earth's crust. For reasons that are not really understood, this formation is underpressured - basically, it readily accepts water at a much lower pressure than most other formations - but it is in close proximity to basement rock where many of Oklahoma's fault lines are found. It is believed that the water injected into the Arbuckle formation is finding it's way into these faults and lubricating them.

Stanford University did a study not too long ago on this very topic - a summary article can be found here: Oklahoma earthquakes linked to oil and gas wastewater disposal wells, say Stanford researchers (http://news.stanford.edu/news/2015/june/okla-quake-drilling-061815.html). This study was the primary motivator behind the OGS finally linking wastewater injection to the earthquakes this state has experienced. The article is a VERY good read and can better explain what I typed above.

As to your question, it depends on what you mean precisely. Do you mean that we could not dispose of just the water used to frac the wells (known as flowback water)? Or do you mean that over the entire lifetime of the wells, not one drop of water that the well naturally produced could be disposed of by injection? If you mean the former, then earthquakes will absolutely continue. If you meant the latter - which is essentially a moratorium on all wastewater injection - current data seems to suggest that earthquakes would return to their normal historic levels.

Jim Kyle
02-02-2016, 07:04 PM
And by the way, fraccing has been going on for something approaching 70 years.Lots longer than that. Shooting a well with a nitroglycerine torpedo was the original method of fracturing the formation, and that was being done more than 100 years ago. I attended the cleanup from what may have been the last nitro accident in the oil patch, back in 1955 near Wilson, OK, and ruined two tires by driving over fragments of the rig and torpedoman's truck. Rusty Sullivan, believed to have been the last torpedoman, and two others were blown to bits when the torpedo they were preparing to lower into the hole fired prematurely and detonated 100 quarts of nitro in the truck.... Interestingly, several other folk on the site survived the blast.

Just the facts
02-02-2016, 08:08 PM
I meant the latter, that no water naturally produced from a fracked well could be injected. If your last sentence is correct then how can anyone deny that fracking isn't the cause - because it is clearly a 2-step process, unless someone can do the first half without producing the second half. It is absolutely no different than pushing someone out a 20 story window and then saying I didn't kill them the stop at the bottom did. Technically correct, but without the push there would be no impact at the bottom.

Bellaboo
02-02-2016, 09:23 PM
I meant the latter, that no water naturally produced from a fracked well could be injected. If your last sentence is correct then how can anyone deny that fracking isn't the cause - because it is clearly a 2-step process, unless someone can do the first half without producing the second half. It is absolutely no different than pushing someone out a 20 story window and then saying I didn't kill them the stop at the bottom did. Technically correct, but without the push there would be no impact at the bottom.

I'm going with the drilled formation is a big part of the problem. The Mississippi Lime is a huge water producer. And the fact that they've drilled a ton of wells in the last 4 years plays into this. If they would stay with the Woodford there would be far less problems.

baralheia
02-03-2016, 12:58 AM
I meant the latter, that no water naturally produced from a fracked well could be injected. If your last sentence is correct then how can anyone deny that fracking isn't the cause - because it is clearly a 2-step process, unless someone can do the first half without producing the second half. It is absolutely no different than pushing someone out a 20 story window and then saying I didn't kill them the stop at the bottom did. Technically correct, but without the push there would be no impact at the bottom.

So, here's the problem with that line of thinking: Almost all wells produce water to some degree. Even if no wells were ever frac'd, this would still be the case - fracking doesn't cause the well to suddenly start producing water in normal operation. You will pretty much ALWAYS have to deal with wastewater when pumping oil and gas out of the ground because the rock containing oil very often also contains some water. A well doesn't necessarily have to be frac'd to produce, either. Fracking is common practice in formations in Oklahoma because it makes the well produce more oil/gas much quicker than it would otherwise, but it's not a given that all wells get frac'd.

Just the facts
02-03-2016, 08:15 AM
Now we are getting nowhere fast. This is all I am saying - Urbanized is making a distiction between the process of breaking up the rock and disposing of the wastewater that results and I am saying that not everyone is making that distinction when they say 'fracking' because they see the whole thing as one process with 2 parts. That's it.

jerrywall
02-03-2016, 09:37 AM
Seems to me, by people more in the know than I am, that what folks are saying is that even if fracking was stopped today, and a permanent ban was put into place, there would still be millions or billions of drilling wastewater produced on an ongoing basis that would need to be disposed of?

Just the facts
02-03-2016, 09:57 AM
True - but does the disposal of non-fracking wastewater cause earthquakes? It didn't use to.

jerrywall
02-03-2016, 10:17 AM
True - but does the disposal of non-fracking wastewater cause earthquakes? It didn't use to.

I don't know. Have we significantly increased the amount of non-fracking wastewater being disposed? One of the biggest mistakes someone makes is confusing cause and effect. The earthquake swarms weren't happening before Obama was in office. Oklahoma also voted against Obama twice, and in fact was the reddest state against him in both elections. Coincidence?

An increase in the amount of fracking can be as much a symptom as a cause. A symptom of a significant increase of oil and gas drilling in Oklahoma.

mkjeeves
02-03-2016, 11:02 AM
I immediately tune out articles and commentary about induced seismicity that use "fracking" in the title or prominently in the article itself. Using that term betrays either an agenda, or ignorance regarding the differences between fracking and injection wells, or both. I have no connection whatsoever to the industry, but if you pay even casual attention you should know the differences. I prefer to get my information from people who actually know more than I do.

Except when it doesn't and fracing itself leads to induced earthquakes. (We covered all this when the study was first published but why not again for those not paying attention intentionally or otherwise.)

Study Links Ohio Earthquakes to Fracking (http://time.com/3659649/fracking-earthquakes-ohio-study/)

Earthquakes in Oklahoma haven't been shown to be directly linked to the act of fracing itself (yet), other than as JTF posits in the larger picture of how things are being done now.

Bellaboo
02-03-2016, 12:11 PM
Except when it doesn't and fracing itself leads to induced earthquakes. (We covered all this when the study was first published but why not again for those not paying attention intentionally or otherwise.)

Study Links Ohio Earthquakes to Fracking (http://time.com/3659649/fracking-earthquakes-ohio-study/)

Earthquakes in Oklahoma haven't been shown to be directly linked to the act of fracing itself (yet), other than as JTF posits in the larger picture of how things are being done now.

From the article -

The study, published this week in The Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, found that fracking, formally known as hydraulic fracturing, may have built up subterranean pressure and caused slippage in an existing fault that contributed to dozens of mild earthquakes in Poland Township, Ohio, in March. Two of the earthquakes were large enough to be felt, though they did not do any damage.

'May have' - Not definitive that it is the problem but is possible. - I lean more to injection wells, only on the fact that there is just as much 'fracking' in western Oklahoma and no quakes. Probably due to the lack of faults out there ?

mkjeeves
02-03-2016, 12:30 PM
From the article -

The study, published this week in The Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, found that fracking, formally known as hydraulic fracturing, may have built up subterranean pressure and caused slippage in an existing fault that contributed to dozens of mild earthquakes in Poland Township, Ohio, in March. Two of the earthquakes were large enough to be felt, though they did not do any damage.

'May have' - Not definitive that it is the problem but is possible. - I lean more to injection wells, only on the fact that there is just as much 'fracking' in western Oklahoma and no quakes. Probably due to the lack of faults out there ?

I agree the consensus is injection wells are causing the problems in Oklahoma (and I said that.)

I said "yet" because the study indicates there probably is a link between fracing and earthquakes with the incident in Ohio. We have both fracing activity and various fault lines, known and unknown in Oklahoma, thus it seems reasonable and logical we may have had or will have an earthquake directly related to fracing here.

Urbanized
02-03-2016, 02:31 PM
True - but does the disposal of non-fracking wastewater cause earthquakes? It didn't use to.

Neither did disposal of wastewater from fracced wells, which have been around for decades.

The X factor that has led to so large of an increase in produced water is simply an increase in overall PRODUCTION. And as someone in the industry explained on the board somewhere recently, the production increase has largely been because of advances in horizontal drilling technology. "Fracking" is just a polarizing shorthand term that instantly communicates something that sounds destructive and dirty, and a term which many members of the uninitiated public first heard of in the film "Gasland". I'm not in the industry and pretty open to both sides of the issue. I just know enough to recognize that when an article too closely associates induced seismicity with "fracking" that I need to read it with a grain of salt. Again, like I said before, I like to get my news from someone who HOPEFULLY knows more than I do about a topic, and who HOPEFULLY is giving me said news as free of agenda as possible. That goes for BOTH sides.

ljbab728
02-13-2016, 11:08 AM
That was a nice little shake just now.

Pete
02-13-2016, 11:09 AM
Biggest shaker I've felt downtown...

Achilleslastand
02-13-2016, 11:10 AM
That was a nice little shake just now.

Yep, the dogs were looking like what the heck was that.

ZYX2
02-13-2016, 11:12 AM
Lasted about 20 seconds or so in Stillwater. Shook my desk and the building I'm in a decent amount.

SSEiYah
02-13-2016, 11:12 AM
That had to be high 4s.

Pete
02-13-2016, 11:13 AM
This is really starting to get concerning.

They seem to be getting bigger and more frequent.

Almost shook my large TV off it's stand.

sooner88
02-13-2016, 11:18 AM
That was the biggest one that I have felt... not the longest but definitely the strongest.

bchris02
02-13-2016, 11:21 AM
This is really starting to get concerning.

They seem to be getting bigger and more frequent.

Almost shook my large TV off it's stand.

The scariest ones for me though are the ones that happen in the middle of the night. What can you do though? Like tornadoes, earthquakes have become a fact of life when you live in Oklahoma. Let's hope they don't start going north of 5.0.

Pete
02-13-2016, 11:22 AM
Yes, pretty sharp jolt then about 5 seconds of significant shaking at my place.

Quite unnerving.

SSEiYah
02-13-2016, 11:27 AM
5.1, does that make it the 3rd largest?

Pete
02-13-2016, 11:29 AM
^

Yes.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CbHIJl4UUAAaVjv.png:large

ZYX2
02-13-2016, 11:45 AM
An earthquake of such a large magnitude is quite concerning. I'm afraid that these will become normal.

Achilleslastand
02-13-2016, 11:45 AM
Woods county is what 200 miles away or so, can imagine this felt a lot worse in Woodward.

RadicalModerate
02-13-2016, 11:46 AM
Some earthquake recording site placed the one that happened this morning in Fairview, OK, rather than the more general Woods County. Fairview probably needs to change the signs on the roads leading into town: Welcome to Fairview, The State Leader in Earthquakes. On the other hand, maybe they shouldn't.

bchris02
02-13-2016, 11:56 AM
It will probably take a 6.0 centered in Edmond before state lawmakers will have the political will to do something about it.

Bill Robertson
02-13-2016, 01:25 PM
Yep, the dogs were looking like what the heck was that.Freaked our cats out. Went on about 20 seconds and I went to the back door and watched all the neighbors patio doors and our blinds shake. Wife said the couch was moving. This is near Hefnerf and Council. to

Bunty
02-13-2016, 01:39 PM
It will probably take a 6.0 centered in Edmond before state lawmakers will have the political will to do something about it.

It sure didn't help that this bigger than usual earthquake happened when the Oklahoma State Legislature was not in session. 17 miles northwest of Fairview is well out in the middle of nowhere. Too bad coyotes, deer, jack rabbits and armadillos can't vote or bitch at the legislators.

BBatesokc
02-13-2016, 02:00 PM
Surprisingly I was sitting at my desk at home near East 15th and I-35 in Edmond and while we noticed it, it was pretty mild. Went on for longer than most, but didn't even rattle the pictures on the wall.

TheTravellers
02-13-2016, 02:43 PM
It will probably take a 6.0 centered in Edmond before state lawmakers will have the political will to do something about it.

It's going to be like a dangerous intersection that needs a traffic light - someone (or someones) will have to die before they do something about it, and even then, eh, maybe not, may be cheaper for the O&G companies to pay them off (like GM and their ignition switches).

corwin1968
02-13-2016, 03:24 PM
Surprisingly I was sitting at my desk at home near East 15th and I-35 in Edmond and while we noticed it, it was pretty mild. Went on for longer than most, but didn't even rattle the pictures on the wall.

This was my experience as well. It wasn't the longest or the strongest but it did go longer than usual. But, I'm sick and was in bed in a medicated fog with a bi-pap mask on my face so my perception might have been skewed.

Jim Kyle
02-13-2016, 03:29 PM
Freaked our cats out. Went on about 20 seconds and I went to the back door and watched all the neighbors patio doors and our blinds shake. Wife said the couch was moving. This is near Hefnerf and Council. toYou're not very far from me! I felt it but not nearly so long as did my wife, in another room. To me it felt as if a huge gust of wind had slapped the house, just a single shock. She said she felt everything shaking for a much longer time.

Curious about damage in Fairview and surroundings. Saw a report on Facebook that it was felt in Kansas City!

tfvc.org
02-13-2016, 05:10 PM
I felt it way out in Lexington, again didn't feel much since I live on a hill, but it felt like a large dog scratching it's self when on the same couch as you.

Dustin
02-13-2016, 07:11 PM
An earthquake of such a large magnitude is quite concerning. I'm afraid that these will become normal.

Ugh! I wish we didn't settle for this!

This is so obviously not natural... And now my house is falling apart....

Email your representatives, people!!!