Topic: Quakes Rock Stillwater Saturday, 2/22/14-Local Paper Calls For State Task Force

[Bunty]

I slept through the first and weakest quake Saturday morning, but sure felt and heard the two that came later that night.  I'm so glad they're still lasting only around 1 second.  Still, they are kinda frightening.  All at or near 3.0M. The local paper that very night after the 2nd quake went online and called for a state quake task force to determine what is going on.  It's at:  http://www.stwnewspress.com/opinion/x2039931993/OUR-VIEW-State-needs-quake-task-force  Meanwhile, what is the Oklahoma Geological Survey saying?  http://newsok.com/oklahoma-geological-survey-is-shaking-things-up-amid-rash-of-quakes/article/3934987

A new theory as to what's causing them has to do with underground aquifers and weather:  http://www.news9.com/story/24792205/a-new-theory-about-whats-causing-oklahomas-earthquakes  For other ideas, it's just a cycling of nature as fault lines wake up again.  Or waste water injection wells.  Whatever, it seems to be quite an intriguing geological mystery.

From FACEBOOK entry:
City of Stillwater Emergency Management Agency SEMA
This evening has been busy taking care of the SEMA page. Normally SEMA stands for "Stw Emergency Management Agency", but recently is could stand for "Seismic Event Monitoring Agency"!

Traffic to stillwaterweather.com's earthquake page skyrocketed and was one of the busiest days ever.

Center of Stillwater area quakes mapped out:

[gwwilk]

It's interesting that they suggest that a 'task force' will be able to determine the cause.  They will achieve credence only when they successfully predict earthquakes.  Until then they are only reinforcing their and the public's biases.

Suppose they succeed in suppressing fracking.  If after doing so the quakes continue then those who feel fracking is the cause will merely claim that it is accumulated damage that is manifesting in new quakes.  If the quakes stop, those who say it's just a natural geological phenomenon will say that the phenomenon has quieted back down.

There are no winners here.

[Dr Obbins]

I was checking out the earthquake page and noticed a 1/2 dozen quakes today.

How long was fracking in process before the quakes started? If fracking stopped today, one might expect a similar amount of time before the earthquakes stopped. (if fracking is the cause).

[Bunty]

I was checking out the earthquake page and noticed a 1/2 dozen quakes today.

How long was fracking in process before the quakes started? If fracking stopped today, one might expect a similar amount of time before the earthquakes stopped. (if fracking is the cause).

I don't know.  It's been alleged that oil companies are withholding their data from scientists. 

Speaking of today, Stillwater had another earthquake at 6:11PM, a 3.1M, so nothing out of the ordinary for strength, thank goodness.  It made my cat raise his head up in wide eyed wonder.  This quake's epicenter was in the city limits, south of E. 6th and S. Stallard St, or very near the graveyard.  That might be the first time ever a quake's epicenter was under the city limits.

KFOR-4 Oklahoma City,  did a report with video done in Stillwater on Saturday's quakes.  http://kfor.com/2014/02/23/earthquake-swarm-rattles-oklahomans-overnight/

[SlowModem]

The Mayans (or our interpretation of them) didn't get it right.

Some say this was supposed to be the end of the world, according to the Vikings.

Others reference the Blble:

And great earthquakes shall be in diverse places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

So who knows?  Maybe we are getting close.

[Dr Obbins]

While the faults have been there for some time, the large number of quakes is a recent development.

[Bunty]

http://www.stwnewspress.com/local/x2118240570/Earthquakes-jolt-Stillwater-OSU-will-join-study

http://www.stwnewspress.com/local/x1783693306/Payne-County-s-emergency-office-to-create-response-team

At least a couple of quakes have happened since Sunday near Stillwater, but they were too light for me to feel, though some local people did.
http://stillwaterweather.com/okareaearthquakes.php#Recent

[Bunty]

Citizens take their concerns about the earthquakes to the wrong government body:

http://www.stwnewspress.com/local/x1783700968/County-residents-seek-drilling-moratorium

With a scary way to end the story, “You don’t know what’s happening underground.”

Fortunately, recently earthquakes have had a tendency to stay under 3.0M.  I've only been aware of one happening when it did for the past two weeks.

http://stillwaterweather.com/okareaearthquakes.php#Recent

[Cienega32]

Reding said the best thing people can do is prepare by looking into earthquake insurance or taking other steps to make themselves feel safer.

I guess those other steps would be defined as... moving?

[Dr Obbins]

With a scary way to end the story, “You don’t know what’s happening underground.”

Yea... Like a sink hole opening up underneath corvettes.

[Bunty]

Tonight at 7:53 pm, 3/3/14, another earthquake happened near Stillwater with the brief sound of distant thunder and little shake noticed.  No wonder.  OGS page - http://www.okgeosurvey1.gov/pages/earthquakes/recent-earthquakes.php - indicates it registered 2.4M, centered ENE of Stillwater, one of the state's most active areas.  Fortunately, it seems lately these earthquakes have had a tendency of more often staying under 3.0.

Just noticed the OGS page indicates another earthquake happened only 10 minutes later, centered near the same spot as the above one.  I don't recall sensing that one.  No wonder.  It was weaker, registering only 2.1M.

[Bunty]

Oil companies are also being blamed by rural residents for being behind fires getting started. Interestingly enough, the area in the article referred to, North West Point Rd., is not real far from where recent earthquakes have centered east of Stillwater.

http://www.stwnewspress.com/local/x1984784805/Wildfires-a-concern-for-rural-resident

[Bunty]

Statement released from City of Stillwater Emgergency Management Agency on Recent Seismic Activity:  http://stillwater.org/statement_about_the_recent_string_of_seismic_activity_in_payne_county.php

[Bunty]

http://www.stwnewspress.com/opinion/x334202286/OUR-VIEW-Earthquake-study-is-needed-in-OK

[Cienega32]

Good to see they're planning on a reason-based approach instead of knee-jerk. Hope it works out to where they can make a sound determination.

[Bunty]

Latest in local commentary on the quakes.  (Two 4.0 quakes hit in a neighboring county this weekend, but was apparently too far away to feel them, either that, or I slept through one of them.)

http://www.stwnewspress.com/opinion/x1535573528/ROB-HILL-More-quakes-are-shaking-everyone-up

[Bunty]

3.2 earthquake Sunday night at 9:26 pm very near Stillwater. (Reports have it an hour earlier. why I don't know. However, this page reports the correct time: http://folkworm.ceri.memphis.edu/rec...s/quakes0.html) It was centered just 2 miles southeast of Stillwater, once again coming from an area where there has been successful oil field activity going on. At least four wells there in a two square mile area.

I was finishing dinner at the Texas Roadhouse when the earthquake hit. A sudden rumbling noise came up with my table shaking two or three times. Never been in a public place during an earthquake. Was kinda surprised I heard no screaming.  The atmosphere was almost like nothing had just happened. I asked the waitress if she felt the earthquake. She said yes, but wondered if it was really that. Maybe it was from the nearby carnival taking down rides or a large truck passing by. But it was an earthquake. Probably people are getting more used to the earthquakes than I am.

[Harryca]

^USGS has it at 8:26 pm local time.  They must be using CST instead of CDT.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usb000q1un#summary

[BigOkie]

3.2 earthquake Sunday night at 9:26 pm very near Stillwater. (Reports have it an hour earlier. why I don't know. However, this page reports the correct time: http://folkworm.ceri.memphis.edu/rec...s/quakes0.html) It was centered just 2 miles southeast of Stillwater, once again coming from an area where there has been successful oil field activity going on. At least four wells there in a two square mile area.

I was finishing dinner at the Texas Roadhouse when the earthquake hit. A sudden rumbling noise came up with my table shaking two or three times. Never been in a public place during an earthquake. Was kinda surprised I heard no screaming.  The atmosphere was almost like nothing had just happened. I asked the waitress if she felt the earthquake. She said yes, but wondered if it was really that. Maybe it was from the nearby carnival taking down rides or a large truck passing by. But it was an earthquake. Probably people are getting more used to the earthquakes than I am.

I just don't feel them.  I felt the two in November some years back, but haven't felt any since that.  Although you live right on top of them practically. 

[Bunty]

I just don't feel them.  I felt the two in November some years back, but haven't felt any since that.  Although you live right on top of them practically. 

Yeah, while glad the Guthrie-Langston area appears to be somewhat more active than the Stillwater-Perry area.  And from being further away, I seldom sense the Guthrie-Langston ones.  There's also some oil field activity southeast of Perry in the Lake McMurtry area.

Meanwhile, southern Kansas has been having earthquakes:  http://www.kwch.com/news/local-news/shock-after-shock-kansas-earthquakes/25688968