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Experts say it’s only a matter of time before the “big one” shakes Oklahoma
ktla ^ | November 23, 2015 | Leslie Rangel

Posted on 11/23/2015 3:52:53 PM PST by BenLurkin

However, experts say earthquakes in Oklahoma will likely increase in magnitude over time.

Now, research said it's only a matter of time before we get a big one that will change life for those of us living here.

...

In 2011, a 5.6 magnitude earthquake shook the state, becoming the largest quake in recent Oklahoma history.

Now, research shows a bigger, stronger one could hit soon.

...

"It's unclear exactly how high we might go, and the predictions are upper 5-6 range for most things that I've seen," Todd Halihan, a researcher from OSU, says.

Halihan studies these quakes; his expertise is hydrogeophysics.

"Underneath any of these urban areas, whether it's Stillwater, Cushing, Oklahoma City, Guthrie, these cities are not built to seismic standards. They're not in L.A." Halihan said.

What would happen to the Devon tower, Chesapeake Arena, our bridges and our roads if a big one hit in the center of Oklahoma City?

(Excerpt) Read more at kfor.com ...


TOPICS: US: Oklahoma
KEYWORDS: earthquakes; manufacturedcrisis; ohnoes; yawn
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To: BenLurkin

There is a major buried fault system running from around OKC to Kansas called the Nehama Ridge or Uplift. It is probably the source of the earthquakes.

21 posted on 11/23/2015 5:59:18 PM PST by crusty old prospector
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To: BenLurkin

Here is a cross section view. It comes within a few thousand feet of the surface.

22 posted on 11/23/2015 6:01:49 PM PST by crusty old prospector
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To: BenLurkin

They are injecting frac water into the Arbuckle Formation, which you can see on the bottom left side of the cross section.


23 posted on 11/23/2015 6:04:18 PM PST by crusty old prospector
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To: Cringing Negativism Network
http://countywidenews.com/its-because-of-the-wilzetta-fault-p4919-94.htm

It looks like some of the earthquakes are along the Wilzetta Fault. Here is an article about it.

24 posted on 11/23/2015 6:13:18 PM PST by crusty old prospector
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To: crusty old prospector

I see the Nemaha ridge you mentioned, but what is the Wilzetta Fault?

Is it near the Namaha ridge?

And why is there no evidence of this, on the surface?

Thank you.


25 posted on 11/23/2015 6:18:31 PM PST by Cringing Negativism Network (http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance/c5700.html)
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To: Cringing Negativism Network
They are remnants of a very old mountain range. The mountains were probably as big as the Rockies. They were eroded down to a flat surface. Younger deposits were then laid on top of it. The Wilzetta Fault is a compensating fault to the larger Nemaha Fault, which runs nearly north-south. The Wilzetta runs more northeast-southwest. You can see it on the article.
26 posted on 11/23/2015 6:25:46 PM PST by crusty old prospector
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To: crusty old prospector

Read the article?

When did this start?

Ok I looked. But I don’t see the support for this prediction:

...

In 2011, a 5.6 magnitude earthquake shook the state, becoming the largest quake in recent Oklahoma history.

Now, research shows a bigger, stronger one could hit soon.

...

“It’s unclear exactly how high we might go, and the predictions are upper 5-6 range for most things that I’ve seen,” Todd Halihan, a researcher from OSU, says.

...

It seems to me if the mountains are now very old and they’ve worn down from once being like the Rockies, then they’re not making big quakes there now.

No?

Is this just a hobgoblin to shake up support for the idea that fracking is causing a huge problem?

That is an honest question. I really don’t know, I appreciate your knowledge.

Thanks.


27 posted on 11/23/2015 6:31:03 PM PST by Cringing Negativism Network (http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance/c5700.html)
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To: Cringing Negativism Network
If you look at the cross section in Post 22, the squiggly line at the top is the current surface of the earth. In the bottom center is a scale but it is in meters. This section has quite a bit of what is called vertical exaggeration which means the vertical scale is amplified to show the detail. You can see that the remnants of the former mountain range are fairly close to the surface. There are a lot of oil accumulations associated with the faults, like the old wells on the state capitol in OKC.
28 posted on 11/23/2015 6:33:21 PM PST by crusty old prospector
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To: crusty old prospector

I am in awe of your knowledge of the subject.

Standing down. Thanks for your feedback.


29 posted on 11/23/2015 6:35:59 PM PST by Cringing Negativism Network (http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance/c5700.html)
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To: Cringing Negativism Network

There is a lot of debate whether the frac water injection is causing the earthquakes or not. It is not from the actual fracing but from the injection of the waste water. There have been a few recent earthquakes beneath the old Texas Stadium in Irving. Either it is a big coincidence or the injection is changing the stress field of the earth.


30 posted on 11/23/2015 6:36:48 PM PST by crusty old prospector
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To: Cringing Negativism Network
Did you see this link? I can't remember how to make it a hyperlink so you will have to cut and paste it.

http://countywidenews.com/its-because-of-the-wilzetta-fault-p4919-94.htm

31 posted on 11/23/2015 6:38:06 PM PST by crusty old prospector
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To: crusty old prospector

Earthquake activity in this region has been on the rise since 2008, though there is no indication that a more severe earthquake is imminent.

Not sure, but I would tend to agree with that statement from the article you just posted.

But then I don’t understand the subject well. Thanks for the education.


32 posted on 11/23/2015 6:44:05 PM PST by Cringing Negativism Network (http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance/c5700.html)
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To: Cringing Negativism Network

I’m a petroleum geologist. I leave the earthquake seismology to the real nerds like the USGS. But I know something about them. Like the Nemaha / Wilzetta faults have a strike-slip component which is the same as the San Andreas, which comes all the way to the surface. Strike-slip means the two plates are moving past one another as opposed to up and down. But California is at a active plate boundary with the Pacific plate and Oklahoma is not so I wouldn’t think the “big one” is around the corner.


33 posted on 11/23/2015 6:58:23 PM PST by crusty old prospector
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To: bakeneko

That is in my past. They were little stinking monkeys. I no longer use the phrase “it’s only a matter of time.” Brings pain to my nether region.
Back on subject. I would blame it all on Global Warming, if I believed in that crap!


34 posted on 11/23/2015 7:50:44 PM PST by BatGuano (You don't think I'd go into combat with loose change in my pocket, do ya?)
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To: Himyar

The horse sale? The threat of buying a hay burner would scare me as well.


35 posted on 11/23/2015 8:00:10 PM PST by Sequoyah101 (It feels like we have exchanged our dreams for survival. We just have a few days that don't suck.)
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To: crusty old prospector

No, no, no, no it has to be all that fricin’ fracing!

I took geology at OSU about 40 years ago and the prof said he was amazed that we had not had a big earthquake yet even though the Nemaha Ridge is OLD and stable.

That was LOOOOOONg before the fracing craze though we have beein fricin’ frackn’ for a long time. It was old stuff when I pumped my first job about 40 years ago but not the volume of of water they use now.


36 posted on 11/23/2015 8:04:39 PM PST by Sequoyah101 (It feels like we have exchanged our dreams for survival. We just have a few days that don't suck.)
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To: crusty old prospector

But where in respect to the ridge? Most injection wells are about 10K or less deep in Logan, Payne so forth aren’t they? Aren’t the quake epicenters much deeper than the water could reach?

Remember the shallow quakes at Rocky Mountain Arsenal caused by water injection?


37 posted on 11/23/2015 8:08:04 PM PST by Sequoyah101 (It feels like we have exchanged our dreams for survival. We just have a few days that don't suck.)
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To: crusty old prospector

The Cyril Fault is the most interesting evidence I have ever seen for abiogenic hydrocarbons. I have drilled across the fault very deep and seen changes in gas units through the fault gouge. The earth above the fault is clearly altered. Gold said is is the evidence of oxides of hydrocarbons.

Most geologists recoil at the thoughts of Gold. I don’t I’ve just drilled in to many settings and found hydrocarbons where there shouldn’t be. White Tiger Field off Vung Tau comes to mind.


38 posted on 11/23/2015 8:12:30 PM PST by Sequoyah101 (It feels like we have exchanged our dreams for survival. We just have a few days that don't suck.)
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To: Sequoyah101

Most faults allow for migration both up and down through them. Some faults act as lateral seals and some leak across the fault so that you need something impermeable across it to form a trap. Even though oil and gas mostly rise towards the surface due to buoyancy, they can migrate down as well.


39 posted on 11/24/2015 7:53:16 AM PST by crusty old prospector
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To: Sequoyah101

The faults are rooted in the Precambrian basement and extend upwards into the Paleozoics, i.e. the Arbuckle where I hear most of the injection is occurring as it still has some porosity retained.


40 posted on 11/24/2015 7:55:04 AM PST by crusty old prospector
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