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Oklahoma's Earthquake 'Swarm' in One Chart

Quake swarm
Quake swarm

EQ Charts

Magnitude 2.0 and greater Oklahoma earthquakes from 1990-2014.

EQ Charts has created a really great visual of Oklahoma’s earthquake “swarm.” The chart was built with data from the U.S. Geological Survey, and shows quakes of 2.0-magnitude or greater.

Most people can feel earthquakes that are 3.0-magnitude or greater. Earthquakes have increased exponentially in Oklahoma, a phenomenon federal and university seismologists have linked to disposal wells used by the oil and gas industry.

The Sooner State has been seismically active historically, but Central Oklahoma’s 2009-2014 earthquake “swarm” is unusual because, as USGS seismologist Bill Leith writes, the quakes don’t seem “to be due to typical, random fluctuations in natural seismicity rates.”

Copyright 2021 StateImpact Oklahoma. To see more, visit StateImpact Oklahoma.

Joe Wertz