Why Did Oklahoma Get Shaken By a Quake Felt By Nearly a Thousand?

Earthquakes are a common act of nature, but there's just been a moderate shaker that happened in a place where quakes that are felt are not common. That begs the question why did Oklahoma get shaken by an earthquake that was reportedly felt by nearly a thousand residents?

The USGS is reporting a swarm of quakes over the past 24 hours in Oklahoma including a moderate 4.0 shaker. The USGS shared what is referred to as a "felt map" and as of this writing, there are nearly a thousand people saying they felt this quake.

The 4.0 quake early April 6, 2023 was centered just south of Stillwater according to the USGS at a depth of around 7 kilometers.

Are Oklahoma earthquakes caused by fracking by oil companies?

There is a perception that fracking by oil companies is the cause for many Oklahoma quakes, but the USGS says that's not accurate. Their numbers say that only 2% of earthquakes in the Sooner State are caused by fracking. Here are some interesting details the USGS added about this concept:

The remaining earthquakes are induced by wastewater disposal. The largest earthquake known to be induced by hydraulic fracturing in the United States was a magnitude 4.0 earthquake that occurred in 2018 in Texas.

So the largest earthquake associated with fracking was a 4.0 just like the one that happened this morning in Oklahoma. Interesting.

You can keep up with updates on this latest earthquake swarm in Oklahoma through the official USGS website.