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Oklahoma Residents Rattled By Magnitude 4.1 Earthquake, Second Moderate Tremor Reported In Two Days

By Rahul Srinivas
Published on: 09:30 PST, Apr 27, 2016

The U.S. Geological Survey has confirmed several moderate-sized earthquakes in Oklahoma over the course of the past 24 hours. The latest earthquake, and the biggest one recorded recently, measured 4.1 on the Richter scale and struck the region at around 10:44 a.m., local time earlier today, ABC News reports.

According to reports, the earthquake was epicentered near Luther, located 30 miles north of Oklahoma City. There have been no reports of damage to life or property following the moderate earthquake. USGS data, however, confirms that the earthquake was strong enough to be felt as far away as Wichita, Kansas, nearly 135 miles away from the epicenter. While it was initially reported as a magnitude 4.1 earthquake, it has now been corrected as being a magnitude 3.7 tremor.

While we have had several earthquakes epicentered around Oklahoma over the course of the past few months, there has been an increase in seismic activity in the recent weeks. What makes the latest magnitude 4.1 earthquake worrisome is the fact that the area was hit by another earthquake, measuring 4.0 on the Richter scale, just a day earlier. A smaller earthquake that measured 2.8 on the Richter scale was recorded a few hours before the Wednesday quake, at 6:31 a.m. This one was centered around the town of Harrah, 25 miles northeast of Oklahoma City. Harrah was also the epicenter of the magnitude 4.0 earthquake that shook the area on Tuesday. On the same day, another earthquake, this one measuring 3.7 on the Richter scale, was reported from Luther, the same town where today’s earthquake was also epicentered.

As the norm is, several people took to social media to talk about the latest earthquakes. Here are a few tweets.

The increase in the number of earthquakes in the region has alarmed several residents in the region who are not used to tremors of this magnitude. Seismic activity in the region has been on an upsurge since 2015. To give some perspective, the area only reported less than a dozen earthquakes that were magnitude 3.0 or higher in 2012. In comparison, last year alone, there were more than 900 earthquakes that were magnitude 3.0 or higher.

The U.S. Geological Survey adds that small earthquakes that measure between 2.5 to 3 on the Richter scale are considered weak tremors that are the smallest ones felt by humans. However, the same is not the case with earthquakes that measure magnitude 4.0 or higher.

The biggest earthquake recorded in Oklahoma dates back to 2011 when the region was hit by a magnitude 5.6 earthquake. An earlier report by the Inquisitr had mentioned how the 2011 earthquake damaged more than 200 buildings and affected a football stadium located in Stillwater, which was over 65 miles away from the epicenter. Several residents are worried that the sudden surge in seismic activity is due to the increasing instances of fracking in the region.

Oklahoma seems to be at the receiving end of nature for the past few days. Apart from a string of moderate-sized earthquakes, the region has also been hit by tornadoes and hailstorms over the course of the past few days. In fact, following an adverse weather warning, several schools and educational institutions across the state had canceled classes just to be on the safer side.

Were you in any way affected by the earthquakes that hit Oklahoma recently. If yes, do share your experiences in the comments section below.

[Image Via Ray Bouknight/Flickr/Creative Commons]

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