Series of small earthquakes rock Oklahoma in record seismic activity

Roto-Reuters ^ | 04/05/2014 | Carey Gillam

[Crazieman]

Earthquakes rattled residents in Oklahoma on Saturday, the latest in a series that have put the state on track for record quake activity this year, which some seismologists say may be tied to oil and gas exploration.

One earthquake recorded at 3.8 magnitude by the U.S. Geological Survey rocked houses in several communities around central Oklahoma at 7:42 a.m. local time. Another about two hours earlier in the same part of the state, north of Oklahoma City, was recorded at 2.9 magnitude, USGS said.

Those two were preceded by two more, at 2.6 magnitude, and 2.5 magnitude, that also rolled the landscape in central Oklahoma early Saturday morning. A 3.0 magnitude tremor struck late Friday night in that area as well, following a 3.4 magnitude hit Friday afternoon.

[Crazieman]

Like the earthquakes in LA last week were blamed on fracking as well...

[Paladin2]

I saw that Okla. had a BIG one the other day.

Smaller aftershocks are well expected.

[21twelve]

In all seriousness - are they starting to plant and water all of that ethanol corn yet? Depletion of the Ogalala aquifer has caused land subsidence and minor earthquakes.

[tumblindice]

“I’m guessing it’s a pocket of Balrogs angered by intrusions into their subterranean domain. The oil and gas dwarves delved too deeply, and now there’s hell to pay.”
VP Joe Biden

[re_nortex]

The haughty hubris of leftists is such that they think man has any control at all over the weather or earthquakes. Thus from their twisted, atheistic worldview, they remove Almighty God from the picture for it is He and He alone that chooses what occurs in his Wondrous Creation. The same crowd, led like lemmings by the obama regime, that believes in the junk "science" of AGW is the same crowd that's against fracking...or for that matter any form of domestic energy production.

[Captain Compassion]

Missing information here.

1. How close were the epicenters of these quakes to where fracking is going on?

2. How deep were the quakes? How deep was the fracking?

CC

[ponygirl]

There is a blogger out there who calls himself Dutchsinse and documents all of these with Google Earth, Earthquake 3D and other programs. His hypothesis is that the Pacific plate is putting so much pressure on the North American plate that the stress is being released in areas where fracking, mining, quarries, etc. are located.

Not sure I subscribe to his thoughts, since earthquakes aren't taking place in areas like South Dakota, but he puts out some neat videos documenting all of it. This is a recent one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tjIczIHkkA. He doesn't show the frack wells in this one, but sometimes he will zoom in and measure how far the well is from the epicenter of the earthquake.

[USCG SimTech]

If only the science community used actual math in computing cubic meters of extracted fuels offset by injected fluids, in proportion to cubic kilometers of the fracking field.

Fracking would be like sticking a needle into the Daytona beach sands and when a freak wave came up and knocked over your drink you sue all the quilters.

[NoLibZone]

The need to feed NYC dwellers has caused depletion of the Ogalala aquifer.

It’s NYC fault that there are now an increase in quakes.

[EBH]

I am thinking it is a bit too early yet for corn planting...

[norwaypinesavage]

"some seismologists say [these earthquakes] may be tied to oil and gas exploration."

Too bad Reuters doesn't have the cojones to name one. I'll bet there aren't any. It's just some leftist "journalist" at Reuters who "hopes" there is one.

[norwaypinesavage]

There have been numerous stories in the past that the way to prevent large earthquakes, like the San Francisco earthquake of a century ago, would be to artificially cause a series of smaller ones. Thus, one could just as plausibly argue that fracking PREVENTS the “big one”.

[jerod]

"which some seismologists say may be tied to oil and gas exploration"

This is common refrain from left wing journalist when there are quake swarms... Here's an idea, how much snow is there currently on the ground in the North American continent? Seriously, that's an excessively large amount of weight on the continental plates that isn't normally there. Has any scientist out there espoused the possibility that that's the reason why quake activity appears to have increased this year. It's as good an explanation as any I have heard.

[depressed in 06]

If is is not fracking, it must be Bush’s fault. Bolshies have no other choices.

[VeniVidiVici]

Earthquakes are cyclic just like the climate.

Overview of OK earthquakes - http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/oklahoma/history.php

[JimRed]

I am thinking it is a bit too early yet for corn planting...

Especially with the brutal winter extending on into spring.

[blam]

" I am thinking it is a bit too early yet for corn planting... Especially with the brutal winter extending on into spring. "

Lake Superior Still over 90% Iced, Pushing Shipping Season Back Weeks

Despite that its already over a week into Spring we are still seeing Lake Superior at just over 90 percent iced over, a freeze so bad that shipping season on the Great Lakes is being pushed back to March 31 and extra Ice Breakers are being sent in to clear the way."

[CPT Clay]

Why is this news? Can anybody really feel a 2. anything tremor? How do you distinguish it from a large truck driving by your house?

[Polynikes]

“Can anybody really feel a 2. anything tremor? How do you distinguish it from a large truck driving by your house?’

Yes you can feel it although you have to be almost on top of it. It helps if you are sitting in a quiet room. You distinguish it from a truck by the absence of vehicle noise. The house usually quivers or shrugs and the the dishes rattle. At that point you hold your breath for minute and hope it doesn't gain in intensity.

They are quite common in California and most are not felt as people are doing other things like driving etc.