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eridani

(51,907 posts) Sun Dec 14, 2014, 05:10 AM Dec 2014

Move Over, California: Oklahoma Now Leads the Nation for Most Earthquakes

http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/27473-move-over-california-oklahoma-now-leads-the-nation-for-most-earthquakes

Oklahoma is best known, in the realm of natural disasters, for an abundance of tornadoes. However, it appears the state has a new natural disaster on its hands and it comes in the form of earthquakes. As of December, Oklahoma official outranks California for the most earthquakes in the nation.

The Woodward News reports that earthquakes are happening on a weekly basis in Oklahoma and range in severity. Woodward County Emergency Manager Matt Lehenbauer told the publication that Oklahoma has officially passed up California regarding the prevalence of earthquakes. In fact, earthquakes are becoming part of everyday life for Oklahomans.

EarthquakeTrack shows that today Oklahoma has already experienced eight earthquakes today alone (must be 1.5 magnitude or greater to be counted). Oklahoma has experienced 46 earthquakes in the past seven days, 188 earthquakes in the past month and 1,354 earthquakes in the past year.

Scientists are unsure why Oklahoma has become such an earthquake hotbed. Being in the middle of the United States where warm temperatures meet cold, accounts for the large number of tornadoes and severe weather in the region. However, there is not a consensus by scientists on what is causing the rapid increase in seismic activity in the region.

Many scientists have pointed to the practice of salt water disposal injection as one of the possible causes. NPR reports that “several scientists have suggested that disposal wells, used to dispose of waste from some oil and gas drilling operations — including hydraulic fracturing, or ‘fracking’ — could be the cause of the recent spike.” Seismic activity in Oklahoma seems to align with areas that have active injection sites.

11 replies

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Move Over, California: Oklahoma Now Leads the Nation for Most Earthquakes (Original Post) eridani Dec 2014 OP

Hey, my state is #1! NaturalHigh Dec 2014 #1

This begs the question Jesus Malverde Dec 2014 #2

It hasn't been so easy to get earthquake insurance lately. NaturalHigh Dec 2014 #4

Poor Oklahoma got the short end of the stick. Jamastiene Dec 2014 #3

I was just thinking... yuiyoshida Dec 2014 #5

They are available at earthquake.usgs.gov HereSince1628 Dec 2014 #6

I also find the USGS one-day earthquake map useful starroute Dec 2014 #7

The map I posted is today yuiyoshida Dec 2014 #8

The little ones do help relieve stress starroute Dec 2014 #10

Wait till enough earthquakes hit the RWers in OK. Rhinodawg Dec 2014 #9

Northern California has had 4,711 earthquakes in the past year (M1.5 or greater): Brother Buzz Dec 2014 #11

NaturalHigh

(12,778 posts)

1. Hey, my state is #1!

Reply to eridani (Original post)

Sun Dec 14, 2014, 07:47 AM

Dec 2014

I would prefer this be the college football playoff.

Jesus Malverde

(10,274 posts)

2. This begs the question

Reply to eridani (Original post)

Sun Dec 14, 2014, 07:50 AM

Dec 2014

Should the soon billions now spent by Oklahomans to buy earthquake insurance be passed on to the private for profit corporations that are likely causing them.

NaturalHigh

(12,778 posts)

4. It hasn't been so easy to get earthquake insurance lately.

Reply to Jesus Malverde (Reply #2)

Sun Dec 14, 2014, 10:42 AM

Dec 2014

When we first bought our house twelve years ago, we got it from our own insurance company and dirt cheap. Now we have to go through another company, and it costs more than twice as much. We don't even live in the same part of the state where this is happening, and we've only felt one earthquake here.

Jamastiene

(38,187 posts)

3. Poor Oklahoma got the short end of the stick.

Reply to eridani (Original post)

Sun Dec 14, 2014, 08:07 AM

Dec 2014

Having to put up with tornadoes AND earthquakes has to be stressful. I know I would be on pins and needles knowing how many tornadoes, and now earthquakes, happen there.

yuiyoshida

(41,831 posts)

5. I was just thinking...

Reply to eridani (Original post)

Sun Dec 14, 2014, 10:46 AM

Dec 2014

IF you look at this map every day, from here;
http://www.data.scec.org/recenteqs/

You will really see how many we get and its every damn day...they might be tiny little things, but they occur with lots of frequency. Does Oklahoma have a website like this that shows how many earthquakes per day they get?

Many times, I don't feel these.. but when they run up to 5 point something or more, you feel them. It depends on where you live in California. Some places get more than others here.

HereSince1628

(36,063 posts)

6. They are available at earthquake.usgs.gov

Reply to yuiyoshida (Reply #5)

Sun Dec 14, 2014, 11:20 AM

Dec 2014

the parameters need to be set to -ALL-.

starroute

(12,977 posts)

7. I also find the USGS one-day earthquake map useful

Reply to yuiyoshida (Reply #5)

Sun Dec 14, 2014, 12:46 PM

Dec 2014

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/

This is for quakes of magnitude 2.5 or greater over the last 24 hours -- though you can change that to the last week or month.

Right now, it's showing four quakes in Oklahoma, ranging from 2.8 to 4.3, the most recent an hour ago, but I've seen it with as many as eight.

yuiyoshida

(41,831 posts)

8. The map I posted is today

Reply to starroute (Reply #7)

Sun Dec 14, 2014, 12:55 PM

Dec 2014

And if you click the link, will change hourly. If there is a an earthquake today of five point something or more, it will be on there. So will the smaller quakes. I don't know if its true, but someone once speculated that we need the little ones to keep the area from having large ones but I doubt that is even true. With one mass sliding under another, you are bound to get some pops here and there.

starroute

(12,977 posts)

10. The little ones do help relieve stress

Reply to yuiyoshida (Reply #8)

Sun Dec 14, 2014, 01:21 PM

Dec 2014

This is one reason they're worried about Cascadia letting loose with a big one -- the fault lines there have been completely locked up.

http://www.kplu.org/post/study-offshore-fault-where-big-one-originates-eerily-quiet

The fault zone expected to generate the next big one lies underwater between 40 and 80 miles offshore of the Pacific Northwest coastline. Earthquake scientists have listening posts along the coast from Vancouver Island to Northern California.

But those onshore seismometers have detected few signs of the grinding and slipping you would expect to see as one tectonic plate dives beneath another, with the exception of the junctions on the north and south ends of what is formally known as the Cascadia Subduction Zone.

It is “a puzzle,” according to University of Oregon geophysics professor Doug Toomey.

“What is extraordinary is that all of Cascadia is quiet. It’s extraordinarily quiet when you compare it to other subduction zones globally,” Toomey said in an interview.

Rhinodawg

(2,219 posts)

9. Wait till enough earthquakes hit the RWers in OK.

Reply to eridani (Original post)

Sun Dec 14, 2014, 12:55 PM

Dec 2014

Other than OK duers, I couldn't give a flip about what happens to them.

Brother Buzz

(36,444 posts)

11. Northern California has had 4,711 earthquakes in the past year (M1.5 or greater):

Reply to eridani (Original post)

Sun Dec 14, 2014, 01:33 PM

Dec 2014

10 earthquakes today
74 earthquakes in the past 7 days
391 earthquakes in the past month
4,711 earthquakes in the past year

http://earthquaketrack.com/v/norcal/recent

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