According to the U.S. Geological Survey, there was a small earthquake this
morning just before 4:30am near Coalgate. It registered 3.2 on the Richter scale.
By most standards, that is a pretty weak one.
Tonight, I asked our executive producer Ben Fisher if he had heard about this and gave
me a story from the Associated Press. What I found interesting is the A.P. said
this was the 3rd earthquake this week. In the Copyrighted story, they reported a
2.4 magnitude quake near Chandler last Thursday, and a stronger 3.4 quake
N.E. of Chickasha last Wednesday.
We have a lot of small earthquakes in our area, but most are too weak to
be felt. One of the strongest on record is the 5.5 massive earquake that shook this
area back in April 9, 1952. It was centered near El Reno, but according to
the "Seismicity of the United States" :
This earthquake caused moderate damage at El Reno, Oklahoma City, and Ponca City, including toppled chimneys and smokestacks, cracked and loosened bricks on buildings, and broken windows and dishes. One crack in the State Capitol at Oklahoma City was 15 meters long. Slight damage was reported from many other towns in Oklahoma and from some towns in Kansas and Texas. The earthquake was caused by slippage along the Nemaha fault. Felt over most of Oklahoma and in Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Texas.
On a slow weather night, I found this interesting. You have to wonder if these three
quakes are not some sort of prelude to a bigger earthquake. You have to wonder.....
Dan