An earthquake of 5.1 has hit Oklahoma. The earthquake, which measured 5.1, occurred on 2024-02-03 at 05:24:28 (UTC). The epic center was located at 35.534°N 96.764°W while the depth of the quake was 3.0 km. The earthquake’s epicenter is just 50 miles to the east of Oklahoma City.
The earthquake’s rating would tie it for the fourth largest rating in state history.
The epicenter of the earthquake, located just northwest of Prague in Lincoln County, Oklahoma, is just 50 miles to the east of Oklahoma City.
There were no reports of any damage or injuries in the region but officials are currently working to survey the situation.
“Earthquakes east of the Rocky Mountains, although less frequent than in the West, are typically felt over a much broader region than earthquakes of similar magnitude in the west,” the USGS says on their website. “East of the Rockies, an earthquake can be felt over an area more than ten times larger than a similar magnitude earthquake on the west coast.”
The Oklahoma earthquake the Prague, Lincoln County suburb. According to Earthquake reports in Oklahoma, the last three quakes in Oklahoma before the February 2nd quake took place on April 7, 2018, April 9, 2018, and January 31, 2022.
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When was the last time Oklahoma had an earthquake?
| Date (UTC) | Time (UTC) | Area |
|---|---|---|
| April 7, 2018 | 12:16:01 | Perry, Noble County |
| April 9, 2018 | 10:22:20 | Perry, Noble County |
| January 31, 2022 | 17:10:21 | Medford, Grant County |
| February 2, 2024 | 23:24:28 | Prague, Lincoln County |
Some facts about the Magnitude 5.1 Oklahoma earthquake as reported by Yahoo News
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While streaming a rainstorm, Twitter/X user @lonelyfencepost initially mistook the earthquake for thunder. Footage from their account captures the moment the room starts to shake.
There were no immediate reports of damage in the first hours after the quake, but the USGS warned that the threat of aftershocks would continue for some time. So far, seismometers have registered an additional six quakes greater than 2.5 magnitude in the hours since the original quake; the largest being a 3.4 as of Friday morning.
A series of earthquakes rattled the Oklahoma City metro less than a month ago, with the most significant being a magnitude 4.4.
Based on initial estimates, Friday’s quake ranked among the top four greatest events to impact the Sooner State since 1900.
A 5.8-magnitude earthquake that rocked the state in 2016 caused moderate damage in north-central Oklahoma, and studies tied the event to wastewater injection from oil and gas production.
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The USGS has previously noted that many quakes throughout the southern Plains have been tied to human activities.
The agency said fracking – the process of injecting water, sand or chemicals into the ground in order to break up the bedrock to reach oil and gas reserves – can trigger quakes and impact groundwater.
It is still too early to determine whether human activities played a role in the most recent quake.