5.6 magnitude earthquake strikes Oklahoma
5.6 magnitude earthquake strikes Oklahoma - A RECORD 5.6-magnitude earthquake has hit Oklahoma, causing "significant" damage to buildings at nearly the same position that a 4.7-magnitude quake hit less than 24 hours earlier.
The quake had been recorded at a magnitude of 5.2 but was later upgraded - making it the strongest earthquake recorded in the state, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
Unspecified damage to buildings located close to the quake's epicentre was reported by the Lincoln County Emergency Management department.
"Very significant damages are being reported in southern Lincoln County," the department posted on Facebook.
Tulsa-based station KJRH-TV said chimneys had collapsed through roofs and walls had cracked at several homes near the quake epicentre, while a wall had collapsed at a library in the city of Prague. It also said several nearby roadways had buckled - including Highway 62.
USGS data showed the quake hit at 10:53pm local time at a depth of 5km, with its epicentre about 6km east of Sparks, Oklahoma., about 80k east of Oklahoma City.
Reports from across the Midwest indicated that the quake had been felt as far away as Arkansas, Texas, Kansas, Illinois and Missouri.
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Star Miami Dolphins running back Reggie Bush tweeted that he felt the earthquake in Kansas City, Missouri,where his team is preparing for today's game against the Chiefs.
"I guess it was an earthquake. Just happened moments ago in Oklahoma. Man we felt it here in Kansas City. Crazy!" he wrote.
In Oklahoma City, local Noeh Morales told The Oklahoman his household had thought a car had crashed into their home.
"It woke me out of a dead sleep. I felt the whole house shaking. I jumped and ran outside to see what was going on," he said. "It was like a roaring noise. I've never [felt] one that bad over here."
The quake came after a 4.7-magnitude earthquake rattled Oklahoma early yesterday. USGS data showed the morning quake hit at 2:12am local time at a depth of 4.9km, with its epicentre about 9km north of Prague, Oklahoma.
A series of aftershocks continued to shake the area until about 8:36am local time, The Oklahoman reported.
The USGS history of earthquakes in Oklahoma shows that a 5.5-magnitude event near El Reno, Oklahoma, in 1952 had been the strongest quake recorded in the state up until yesterday.
via: herald
