Oklahoma earthquake felt here

Many Jackson County area residents woke up Saturday morning to the sounds of an earthquake that originated in north central Oklahoma and was felt in at least seven states.

However, there have been no reports of damage in the area despite the tremors that many said rattled their walls — and, in some cases, their nerves — in the wake of the 5.6-magnitude quake that occurred near Pawnee, Okla., shortly after 7 a.m. that day.

The United States Geological Survey said the quake tied a standing record for Sooner State quake magnitudes, the record set in November 2011 in central Oklahoma.

USGS officials also said Oklahoma has seen an increase of earthquakes with magnitude of 3.0 or greater; many have reportedly been linked to underground disposal of wastewater from oil and natural gas production.

As a result, Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin issued “a mandatory directive” to have operators of 35 wastewater disposal wells located near the earthquake’s epicenter to shut down their operations. The Oklahoma Corporation Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency are investigating where the epicenter is located, it was reported.

In addition to Oklahoma, Saturday’s quake was also felt in Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, Nebraska and Iowa, it was reported.

USGS geologist Randy Baldwin said the 5.6 quake would have shaken the ground “for about 15 seconds,” but since the ground is softer in this region, seismic waves from an earthquake would travel farther.

As a result, Holton-area residents such as City Manager Kerwin McKee reported that Saturday’s jolt “made my pictures rock on the walls” and caused a few dishes to rattle in their cabinets, and other county residents took to social media to report on the quake. However, McKee said the shockwaves were not strong enough to cause any damage to local buildings or to the dam at Prairie Lake.

“We are not aware of any damage done by that quake,” he said.

Closer to the epicenter, however, some buildings were damaged — at least six in rural Pawnee County and the city of Pawnee, including one historic building in that city, it was reported.

Only one injury was reported in Pawnee during the quake, reportedly involving a man who suffered a minor head injury when part of a fireplace fell on him while he was trying to protect a child.

The seismic waves of the quake were captured by the seismograph at Jackson Heights Middle and High School. An image from the seismograph appears on Page 3 of today’s Holton Recorder.