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An earthquake in central Oklahoma shook much of the state Friday night. The shaking began shortly before 11:25 p.m.
Initial USGS seismic reports showed a magnitude 5.1 just north of Prague, which is not far from where a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the state in 2011.
Lincoln County Emergency Management Deputy Director Charlotte Brown told the Associated Press that no injuries were reported and damage was limited.
“Nothing significant… nothing more than a lot of scared people,” Brown told the AP.
While smaller earthquakes continue almost weekly across the state, not many of Oklahoma’s earthquakes have registered above 5.0 in recent years.
People on social media reported feeling it as far east as Tulsa and as far south as McAlester. Some reported that family told them it felt like Kansas and Arkansas.
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission posted early Saturday on social media that its Induced Seismicity Department is investigating the area. It was later determined that the disposal wells in the area would be directed to a “change of operations.”
“As an initial response to mitigate the risk of increased seismic activity near the Prague area of Lincoln County, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission’s Oil and Gas Conservation Division has issued a directive for a change in the operations of some oil and gas wastewater disposal wells. OCC posted Saturday afternoon. “All disposal wells permitted to be disposed of in the Arbuckle formation and located in an area within 10 miles of the February 3, 2024, magnitude 5.1 earthquake must begin shut-in operations, and The closure should be completed by February 1. 17.
“The gradual closure process is necessary to avoid sudden pressure changes that could trigger more seismic activity.”
The 2011 Prague earthquake caused deformations in road pavement, damage to homes and even some injuries.
It sparked much of the study and policy that now surrounds earthquakes in Oklahoma. Before 2011, earthquakes greater than 4.0 were extremely rare. Two other large earthquakes that severely damaged homes and buildings were centered in Pawnee (5.8) and Cushing (5.0) in 2016. Those earthquakes led to major lawsuits against oil and gas companies.
Large earthquakes have mostly decreased since 2016, when the OCC began forcing oil and gas companies to reduce disposal well activity in those areas.
“The Arbuckle formation is the deepest formation in the state. Disposal of oil and gas wastewater in the Arbuckle Formation has been linked to seismic activity in parts of the state,” the OCC posted Saturday. “It should be emphasized that this action is an initial response. Further study may result in new directives.”
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