Oklahoma earthquakes News

Oil, Gas Regulator Modifies Oklahoma Earthquake Guidelines

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission has developed new requirements for oil and natural gas operators in the event of an earthquake. The commission announced the new protocol for operators in the newest and largest areas of oil and gas development, known …

Fracking Earthquakes Pop Up in Unexpected Corner of Oklahoma’s Shale Patch

The oil prospectors of Oklahoma, it appeared, finally had a solution to their earthquake problem. Ordered by regulators to curb the wastewater they were dumping deep into the ground, they watched with satisfaction as tremors plunged to fewer than two …

Number of Strong Earthquakes in Oklahoma Continues to Decline

Regulators and scientists say the number of 3.0 magnitude or stronger earthquakes in Oklahoma is declining. The Oklahoma Geological Survey reports the number of quakes of at least that magnitude during 2017 was 294 through mid-December, compared to 624 total …

Northern Oklahoma Rattled by 2 Quakes, 1 a Magnitude 4.2

Two earthquakes, including one given a preliminary magnitude of 4.2 have been recorded in northern Oklahoma. The U.S. Geological Survey reports the quake struck just before 10:30 p.m. near Stillwater, about 65 miles (105 kilometers) north of Oklahoma City. The …

Testimony: Former Oklahoma Seismologist Felt Pressured not to Link Quakes, Oil and Gas

Oklahoma’s former lead seismologist says he felt pressured by an official at the University of Oklahoma to not link the state’s surge in earthquakes to oil and gas production. The Tulsa World reports that Austin Holland’s sworn testimony came in …

Well Owners Told to Lower Water Injection Levels after Oklahoma Quakes

After a series of small to moderate earthquakes in central Oklahoma, two companies are being told to reduce the amount of wastewater they inject into the ground. About a dozen quakes have struck just south of Hennessey, about 45 miles …

Oklahoma Agency Wants to Install 72 Seismic Stations

The Oklahoma Geological Survey has proposed to install more than 70 permanent seismic stations across the state that would allow scientists to better study earthquakes. The $3.5 million proposal would be placed in a grid pattern and phased in for …

Researchers Using Airplanes to Map Earthquake Faults in Oklahoma

Researchers are turning to the sky to help stop earthquakes from rumbling deep beneath the Oklahoma soil. The U.S. Geological Survey in coordination with the Oklahoma Geological Survey and other groups last week began using a modified small airplane to …

Despite Reduction in Oil, Gas Wastewater Injections, Oklahoma Quakes Continue

The disposal of wastewater from oil and gas production by injecting it deep into the ground has been linked to a dramatic increase in earthquake activity in Oklahoma since 2009. Injection rates have declined recently because of regulatory actions and …

New Software Monitors Oklahoma Bridges Following Earthquakes

Oklahoma transportation officials have installed a monitoring service to help prioritize bridge inspections after earthquakes. The ShakeCast software is the final stage in a two-year contract with the private firm Infrastructure Engineers Inc., The Oklahoman reported. The U.S. Geological Survey …