Oklahoma experienced its largest earthquake recorded on history Saturday evening while the aftershock continued to shake cities on Sunday morning. There were no reported injuries or deaths, but there was a significant amount of widespread damage including demolished chimneys and cracked foundations. The magnitude 5.6 earthquake was centered near Prague, Okla., 44 miles northeast of Oklahoma City. It could be felt throughout the state and as far away as Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, northern Texas, and even Wisconsin.
Between 1972 and 2008, there have been about two to six earthquakes a year throughout the state. In 2009, the number jumped to 50 quakes, all centered in the area struck on Saturday. This may be linked to the Wilzetta fault line shifting and creating a lot more earthquakes. We learned from lab that the majority of earthquakes happen on or near fault lines, and this is an interesting case because Oklahoma is located near the center of the continent, not near many fault boundaries. The people in Oklahoma were a bit "shaken" up because they do not regularly have earthquakes, so their preparedness was under developed compared to areas with high vulnerability.
Article Here:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203733504577022110603813068.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
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