Earthquake Alert! A 3.4-Magnitude Earthquake Stirs Oklahoma Communities

EDMOND, Okla. – A 3.4 magnitude earthquake rattled communities in the central region of Oklahoma on Thursday, leading people to social media to figure out what was going on. This occurred while many residents in Oklahoma had a break from extremely harsh weather.

Just before six o’clock in the evening, the United States Geological Survey stated that the earthquake had its epicenter close to Edmond, Oklahoma. While it is not unusual for low-magnitude occurrences to be connected with damage, there were no initial reports of damage associated with the shaking.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reports that earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.0 or above typically cause some level of damage. Near the epicenter of the earthquake, which occurred earlier this year, a cluster of earthquakes shook the state. Near Edmond, along Interstate 35, on the north side of the metro area, on January 13, dozens of earthquakes occurred, with the largest ones measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale.

By pumping water, sand, or chemicals into the ground to break up the bedrock to access oil and gas reserves, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) has established a connection between a significant number of earthquakes that have occurred across the southern Plains and human activity. The injection of wastewater from oil and gas extraction was the cause of the most powerful earthquake in the state’s history, which took place in 2016.

Pawnee, which is located more than an hour’s drive to the northeast of the state capitol, was the epicenter of the 5.8 magnitude earthquake that occurred close to the town.

An individual was reported to have sustained injuries as a result of the incident, which caused moderate damage in the north-central region of Oklahoma.