Record Oklahoma earthquake damages property, felt in six states

Published 11:35 am Sunday, September 4, 2016

PAWNEE — An earthquake that geologists say appears to be the largest in Oklahoma’s history rattled buildings and woke residents across the state Saturday morning, causing one minor injury and damage to several buildings.

Bricks fell from buildings in the town of Pawnee, and Garfield Furniture in Enid also reported some structural damage. The Oklahoma governor has called for crews to check bridges and structures for damage after the large temblor.

A man protecting his child suffered a head injury when part of a fireplace fell on them, said Pawnee County Emergency Management Director Mark Randell. Randell said the man was treated at a hospital and released.

U.S. Geological Survey reported the 5.6 magnitude temblor was centered 8 miles northwest of Pawnee at 7:02 a.m. It was about 4.1 miles deep. At least seven aftershocks were felt in the same area: magnitudes 3.4 at 7:16 a.m., 2.7 at 7:32 a.m., 2.9 at 7:54 a.m., 3.6 at 7:58 a.m, 3.2 at 9:47 a.m., 3.1 at 10:25 a.m. and a 3.2 at 10:31 a.m.

The largest earthquake in recorded history in Oklahoma was a 5.6 recorded Nov. 5, 2011, near Prague in central Oklahoma.

However, a USGS official is reporting today’s temblor was larger than the Prague earthquake, even though the reported magnitudes were the same as of 9:30 a.m.

Dan McNamara, a research geophysicist with the USGS, said they are working to determine more details about the earthquake.

“We just determined it’s the largest earthquake, larger than Prague,” he said, adding data shows it is just a fraction larger even though it is not enough to change the magnitude.

Although the Prague and Pawnee quakes had the same magnitude — 5.6 — McNamara said the Pawnee quake had a slightly larger energy release.

McNamara said they haven’t determined if there was injection well activity in the area, so they can’t confirm if the quake was induced or not.

“It was a 6.6 kilometers depth, so it was down in the deeper basement granitic rocks, not in the upper sediments where oil and gas formations are,” he said. “That’s typical of previous earthquake. Larger earthquakes have been at similar depths.”

Saturday’s quake also was the only quake greater than magnitude 5.5 felt in the conterminous United States in 2016, according to USGS archives. The conterminous United States does not include Alaska nor Hawaii nor quakes off the coasts. A 5.6 was felt just outside the conterminous boundaries at 10:27 p.m. (CST) Friday west of Ferndale, Calif.

Only four quakes with a magnitude 5.0 or greater have occurred in the conterminous U.S. in 2016 — today’s 5.6 near Pawnee; a 5.1 Feb. 13, northwest of Fairview; and two in California.

Pawnee Mayor Brad Sewell was at the Pawnee Police Department Saturday morning awaiting structural inspections of dams and buildings from the Corps of Engineers and city workers. He was awake and fixing breakfast with his family sleeping when it hit.

He said, “I thought, ‘well, this is another trimmer.’” But then it didn’t stop. He got his family outside, evacuating the house.

“Things were falling off shelve,” Sewell said, adding that there are cracks in the plaster walls at his home. “I’m hoping for the best.”

Sewell said the worst damage in the city was at the intersection of Sixth and Harrison streets. There bricks fell from an unoccupied commercial building that was a former gift shop. Steve Gibson, a retired state trooper and longtime resident of Pawnee, was outside checking the damage to that building, which had been roped off with police tape.

“My wife retired from the store next store over there. And I came down to see if I could help, but there wasn’t anybody in there,” Gibson said. “That old building … I think they called it the Pawnee Bill Trading Post.”

The city sent building inspectors to see if the building, and those surrounding it, were structurally sound.

“It is a wonderful old building,” Sewell said. I’m hoping that the damage we see is the worst of it.”

Twitter users this morning reported feeling the quake across Oklahoma and in Kansas, Arkansas and Nebraska, Texas and Missouri.

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin tweeted that crews are checking bridges and structures for damage in the Pawnee area. Fallin also tweeted state officials want structural engineers to look at building safety in the wake of the quake.

Staffers at the Wolf Creek nuclear power plant in southeast Kansas found no damage to the plant after the quake. Spokeswoman Jenny Hageman said the plant near Burlington, Kansas, did not shake enough to set off a seismic alarm but staff checked as a precaution.

Randell said no buildings collapsed in the town of 2,200 about nine miles southeast of the epicenter.

Randall’s office reported damage to buildings and asked people not to come to the city so roads would be clear for emergency vehicles if needed. Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management staff was en route to Pawnee to assess damage, according to the Stillwater News Press.

“We’ve got buildings cracked,” Randell said. “Most of it’s brick and mortar, old buildings from the early 1900s.”

Lorri Banta, manager at White’s Foodliner, a grocery store in Pawnee, was at work couting a register drawer when the quake struck.

“It was scary. The building was rocking,” Banta said. “It was like it (the building) got picked up off the foundation. It felt like it was going on forever. Everything just started falling. We could hear all the glass breaking.”

Employees there were getting ready to open at 9 a.m.

“Nobody got hurt, that’s the good thing,” she said. “Thank God it didn’t happen when we were open and customers were here. I’ve never felt an earthquake this bad before.”

Social media users reported dishes shaking and items falling off shelves in Oklahoma, including in Enid, but no serious damage has been reported outside of the immediate epicenter.

“That one felt strong,” Tammy Kirkpatrick of Enid said. “It knocked my trophies over and other things here …”

Alyson Murrow, who lives in Moore, posted she woke up to “a picture falling off my wall and doors rattling.”

Char Robinson, of Enid, “felt the shaking, then a large jolt and even more shaking,” she said. “Our pool had waves sloshing around!”

“Knocked stuff off our walls/shelves in Hennessey,” Gayla Lee said. “It lasted a good 60 seconds at least!”

People also reported having family in Emporia, Kansas, and near the Nebraska and Kansas state line who felt the quake.