Aftershocks From Oklahoma Earthquake to Continue for Weeks
Scientists have warned that the seismic activity that caused Saturday night’s 5.6-magnitude earthquake in Oklahoma, destroying over a dozen buildings and injuring at least three people, could still be active.
“With the pattern we’re looking at, I don’t see it stopping anytime immediately soon,” NewsOK quoted Oklahoma Geological Survey research scientist Amie Gibson as saying. “I’d like it to stop, but I don’t see that happening right now.”
The strongest earthquake in the state’s history, which shook towns about an hour’s drive northeast of Oklahoma City, was also felt in Illinois, Kansas, Arkansas, Tennessee and Texas.
At least 12 homes were damaged and three people were injured when a chimney fell on them in Lincoln County, according to Oklahoma’s Fox 23 channel. Additionally, a major highway buckled in three places, it added. However, crews were still assessing damage.
Gibson also said she hoped that Saturday night’s earthquake was the main shock “because I don’t want to see anything like that again, personally.” “It would be ignorant to assume anything right now, because who would assume that we’d have the two biggest ones in one day?”
When a magnitude 4.7 earthquake hit Oklahoma on Saturday morning, geologists thought it was the main shock. But they identified it as a mere foreshock after the 5.6-magnitude was experienced a few hours later.
Even if Saturday night’s earthquake was the main shock, aftershocks may continue to rattle Oklahoma for weeks or even months, The Associated Press quoted geologists as saying. They have already recorded more than 10 aftershocks of magnitude 3.0 or higher, and over 30 in total. But more are expected.
