Strong 5.1 magnitude earthquake strikes Oklahoma – series of aftershocks ripple through state

February 2016 – FAIRVIEW, Oklahoma – A big earthquake rattled residents throughout Central and Northern Oklahoma Saturday morning. Just after 11:00 a.m., several viewers called in to report the earthquake shaking their homes and businesses. The 5.1 magnitude earthquake struck at approximately 11:07 a.m. Its epicenter was located 17 miles northwest of Fairview, 39 miles east of Woodward, and 44 miles west of Enid. It was less than a mile deep. Multiple aftershocks were reported Saturday afternoon in the area including magnitudes of 3.9, 3.7, 3.6, 3.5, 3.1 and 3.0. At 11:17 a.m., a 3.9 magnitude struck in the same area. It was about two and a half miles deep. At 11:44 a.m., a 3.1 magnitude struck in the same area. It was almost seven miles deep. At 12:21 p.m., a 3.5 magnitude earthquake struck. It was about eight miles deep.

At 2:18 p.m., a 3.0 magnitude earthquake was recorded. It was more than three miles deep. At 6:32 p.m., a 3.7 earthquake was reported. It was about three miles deep. At 10:13 p.m., a 3.6 magnitude quake was felt. It was about three miles deep. At this time, there are no reports of damages or injuries associated with the earthquakes. Three other earthquakes of 3.0 magnitude or higher were reported in other parts of the state. At 11:25 a.m., a 3.1 quake struck about five miles north, northwest of Medford, 32 miles north of Enid and 97 miles north of Oklahoma City. It was more than one mile deep. At 2:55 p.m., a 3.2 earthquake was reported about 19 miles south of Alva, 45 miles west of Enid and 97 miles northwest of Oklahoma City. It was more than four miles deep.

At 2:48 p.m., a 3.1 earthquake was reported about nine miles north, northeast of Crescent, 13 miles north, northwest of Guthrie and 40 miles north of Oklahoma City. It was about two and half miles deep. –News9

The Oil and Gas Conservation Division of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission on Tuesday is scheduled to release details of a large regional plan to address the continuing earthquakes in such areas as Fairview, Cherokee, Medford and elsewhere in the western region, according to a release from the commission. “We have long been worried about the earthquakes in that area, in the sharp rise in seismicity,” OCC spokesman Matt Skinner said. “Obviously, … it takes time to put together the plan.”

The plan involves a large-scale regional reduction in oil and gas wastewater disposal for an approximately 5,000-square-mile area in western Oklahoma and will affect more than 200 Arbuckle disposal wells, the release states. “In this case, there is nothing more to be done — we have a plan in place to deal with this,” Skinner said. “To be clear, we’ll release the specific details on Tuesday publicly, but the plan itself is already in place and the operators started to be notified on Thursday of this week.” –Tulsa World