Oklahoma Earthquakes and Faultlines

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A 4.7-magnitude earthquake shook central Oklahoma on Monday night (November 7, 2011), the third significant temblor and the 29th overall in the state since Saturday (November 5, 2011).

According to the United States Geological Survey, this earthquake was centered about five miles northwest of Prague and about six miles southeast of Sparks.

Early Saturday, November 5, 2011, a 4.7-magnitude earthquake shook in that general area before a 5.6-magnitude earthquake shook on Saturday night, November 6, 2011. It was the strongest earthquake in Oklahoma history.

Read more: http://www.koco.com/news/29708656/detail.html#ixzz1d5Wadq3G

Many States within the U.S. have faults, and Oklahoma is no different. But, the faults referred to in this writing cannot be fixed, avoided or regulated by governmental interference. These Oklahoma faults cannot be controlled or altered by man.

On average, Oklahoma has 59 earthquakes each year. Between 1977 and 2005, just a short 29 years, Oklahoma has had 1,701 earthquakes! This is because Oklahoma has faultlines that run through its territory. According to the Oklahoma Geological Survey, the 29 years include 10,592 days, and equate to 58.655 earthquakes per year, with 1 earthquake every 6.227 days.

On January 15, 2010, Oklahoma City and surrounding areas felt yet another tremor. Actually, there were two tremors felt in the area, one at about 9:15 AM (CST) and another just 15 minutes later. The second one was much stronger than the first, causing homes to shutter and vibrate, and contents to rattle and shift.

The U.S. Geological Survey, reported the exact location as 35.57N 97.28W, with a depth of 5.0 kilometers. The earthquake location was 15 miles ENE from Oklahoma City, 25 miles SSE from Guthrie, 25 miles NNE from Norman, and 25 miles NW of Shawnee.

As scary as these two tremors were, we can only speculate and imagine how horrible it must have been for the people of Haiti. The relatively short span of today's earth tremors in Oklahoma, lasting for only about 5 seconds, were nothing compared to what the people of Haiti experienced.

At first, today's earthquake sounded like a muffled boom, but yet seemed to be possess ongoing sound. Being located near (adjacent) to Tinker AFB, booms and vibrations are not uncommon from aircraft traffic and base exercises. At first thought, it appeared (to me) that the roar-like sound was just another AWAC plane taking off, or an F-18 squadron arriving or deploying.

However, quickly it was realized that this was not just another blast from a jet engine. This was something very different. But, it came and went quickly, and people continued with the events of their daily lives.

Then, when the second tremor presented itself, denying ones uneasy feelings was impossible. A sense of fear fleeted through many people's minds, and local 9-1-1 lines began to ring.

You cannot prepare for earthquakes, nor can you prevent structures from becoming pawns in the grasp of the quivering soil. Instinctively, our senses tell us to take shelter, but what shelter is safe? As the rumbling rises up through the crust of the earth, like an insatiable appetite of the earth's core. Being inside a building might not be the best defense.

Many areas around the United States have faults and undesireable environmental traits and weather conditions. No matter where you live, devastating, unexpected, and unusual events can happen. However, the effects from earthquakes, blizzards, or hurricanes are no less insignificant in areas prone to such happenings.

Loss of family, children, and pets are no less painless or uneventful for the ones that live far away. Life is precious, no matter where it resides.

Oklahoma Area Earthquakes

29 earthquakes found. Click on location or map links for more details from the USGS.

Earthquakes of magnitude 2.0 or greater within 150 milesUpdate time = Mon, Nov-07-2011. Get maps and more information at:
http://stillwaterweather.com/okareaearthquakes.phpMap 5 mi ( 9 km) NW of Prague, OK

Magnitude - Miles to Epicenter - Date and Map

4.7 46 mi ( 74 km) Mon, Nov-07-2011 20:46:57 CST map 2 mi ( 3 km) ESE of Meeker, OK

2.8 40 mi ( 64 km) Mon, Nov-07-2011 07:50:20 CST map 5 mi ( 8 km) WNW of Prague, OK

2.9 44 mi ( 72 km) Mon, Nov-07-2011 02:12:35 CST map 5 mi ( 7 km) WNW of Prague, OK

3.4 46 mi ( 73 km) Sun, Nov-06-2011 19:26:31 CST map 5 mi ( 9 km) WNW of Prague, OK

3.3 45 mi ( 72 km) Sun, Nov-06-2011 19:17:13 CST map 4 mi ( 7 km) W of Prague, OK

2.9 45 mi ( 73 km) Sun, Nov-06-2011 18:03:51 CST map 2 mi ( 4 km) SE of Meeker, OK

3.3 40 mi ( 64 km) Sun, Nov-06-2011 12:26:56 CST map 4 mi ( 7 km) S of Sparks, OK

3.7 42 mi ( 68 km) Sun, Nov-06-2011 11:52:34 CST map 3 mi ( 4 km) NNW of Meeker, OK

3.9 37 mi ( 60 km) Sun, Nov-06-2011 09:07:05 CST map 2 mi ( 3 km) NNE of Meeker, OK

3.2 39 mi ( 62 km) Sun, Nov-06-2011 05:20:23 CST map 3 mi ( 6 km) ENE of Meeker, OK

3.0 41 mi ( 66 km) Sun, Nov-06-2011 05:16:20 CST map 5 mi ( 8 km) S of Sparks, OK

3.4 42 mi ( 68 km) Sun, Nov-06-2011 05:03:52 CST map 3 mi ( 5 km) SSE of Sparks, OK

3.9 44 mi ( 70 km) Sun, Nov-06-2011 04:52:35 CST map 2 mi ( 3 km) ENE of Meeker, OK

4.0 40 mi ( 64 km) Sun, Nov-06-2011 03:39:57 CST map 2 mi ( 3 km) S of Sparks, OK

3.4 42 mi ( 68 km) Sun, Nov-06-2011 03:22:04 CST map 4 mi ( 7 km) NNE of Johnson, OK

2.7 44 mi ( 70 km) Sun, Nov-06-2011 02:14:12 CST map 3 mi ( 5 km) N of Meeker, OK

3.2 38 mi ( 61 km) Sun, Nov-06-2011 01:32:40 CST map 4 mi ( 7 km) NNE of Meeker, OK

3.8 39 mi ( 63 km) Sun, Nov-06-2011 01:31:10 CDT map 4 mi ( 6 km) N of Prague, OK

3.0 50 mi ( 80 km) Sat, Nov-05-2011 23:54:00 CDT map 5 mi ( 8 km) SE of Sparks, OK

3.6 46 mi ( 74 km) Sat, Nov-05-2011 23:03:41 CDT map 5 mi ( 8 km) NW of Prague, OK

5.6 46 mi ( 75 km) Sat, Nov-05-2011 22:53:10 CDT map 2 mi ( 4 km) SE of Sparks, OK

3.6 44 mi ( 71 km) Sat, Nov-05-2011 08:36:30 CDT map 5 mi ( 9 km) NW of Prague, OK

3.4 45 mi ( 73 km) Sat, Nov-05-2011 07:42:26 CDT map 6 mi ( 9 km) WNW of Prague, OK

3.3 45 mi ( 72 km) Sat, Nov-05-2011 05:24:15 CDT map 2 mi ( 4 km) SE of Sparks, OK

3.3 44 mi ( 72 km) Sat, Nov-05-2011 03:12:11 CDT map 5 mi ( 8 km) SE of Sparks, OK

2.7 46 mi ( 73 km) Sat, Nov-05-2011 01:50:42 CDT map 4 mi ( 6 km) W of Prague, OK

2.7 46 mi ( 74 km) Sat, Nov-05-2011 01:44:34 CDT map 6 mi ( 9 km) N of Prague, OK

3.4 49 mi ( 79 km) Sat, Nov-05-2011 01:27:20 CDT map 6 mi ( 9 km) SE of Sparks, OK

4.7 46 mi ( 75 km) Sat, Nov-05-2011 01:12:45 CDT map

29 earthquakes found. Click on location or map links for more details from the USGS.

NOTE: If links to maps do not work, go to http://stillwaterweather.com/okareaearthquakes.php and get the full report.

Intensity Map For 5.6 Quake of 11/5/2011

Birds And Bugs Take Flight After Quake

Wait 5, or so, seconds for image to change.

Nov. 5th, 2011 4.7 Prague Earthquake

KOCO Coverage of Quake