5.1 magnitude earthquake jolts east of Oklahoma City
By TOI Desk Report February 3, 2024 Update on : February 3, 2024
A preliminary earthquake, measuring 5.1 Richter scale, shook parts of Oklahoma late Friday night and was followed by at least two smaller tremors, according to the US Geological Survey.
The quake’s epicenter, located just northwest of Prague in Lincoln County, Oklahoma, is just 50 miles to the east of Oklahoma City, reports CNN.
The earthquake was recorded at 11:24pm (local time), the geological survey said. About 2,000 people live in the small city.
There are currently no reports of any damage or injuries but officials are now working to survey the situation.
According to preliminary reports shared by USGS, the trembling from the earthquake was felt across a large swath of the state, including in Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
According to the geological survey, quaking was also felt as far as Wichita and Kansas.
According to USGS, smaller quakes — magnitudes 2.6 and 3.5 — were reported around the same area shortly after the bigger earthquake.
According to the geological survey, earthquakes east of the Rocky Mountains are usually felt over a much larger area than earthquakes of similar magnitude in the western US.
Information about impacts following the earthquakes wasn’t available immediately.
The geological survey wrote on its website that an earthquake can be felt over east of the Rockies more than ten times larger than a similar magnitude earthquake on the west coast.
At least six earthquakes were recorded near another Oklahoma City suburb in January.