41 Earthquakes Strike Oklahoma in November

A large cluster of small but shallow quakes rattles Oklahoma City in November

At least 41 earthquakes measuring 2.5Mw or greater struck the state of Oklahoma in November 2013, according to data provided by USGS/EHP.

The largest shock in the cluster (No. 11 on the table below) measured 3.8Mw, striking at a depth of 5.9km on November 11, 2013 some 5km WNW of Jones, Oklahoma.

• The average depth of the November quakes was 5.3km.

Map of earthquakes in Oklahoma – Nov 2013. Source: USGS/EHP. Map Enhanced by FIRE-EARTH Blog.

List of Oklahoma Earthquakes measuring 2.5Mw or greater, November 2013.

The following information is mirrored from USGS Site.

Tectonic Summary

Earthquakes in the Stable Continental Region

Natural Occurring Earthquake Activity

Most of North America east of the Rocky Mountains has infrequent earthquakes. Here and there earthquakes are more numerous, for example in the New Madrid seismic zone centered on southeastern Missouri, in the Charlevoix-Kamouraska seismic zone of eastern Quebec, in New England, in the New York – Philadelphia – Wilmington urban corridor, and elsewhere. However, most of the enormous region from the Rockies to the Atlantic can go years without an earthquake large enough to be felt, and several U.S. states have never reported a damaging earthquake. […]

Induced Seismicity

As is the case elsewhere in the world, there is evidence that some central and eastern North America earthquakes have been triggered or caused by human activities that have altered the stress conditions in earth’s crust sufficiently to induce faulting. Activities that have induced felt earthquakes in some geologic environments have included

• Impoundment of water behind dams,
• Injection of fluid into the earth’s crust,
• Extraction of fluid or gas, and
• Removal of rock in mining or quarrying operations.

In much of eastern and central North America, the number of earthquakes suspected of having been induced is much smaller than the number of natural earthquakes, but in some regions, such as the south-central states of the U.S., a significant majority of recent earthquakes are thought by many seismologists to have been human-induced.  […]

Latest Significant Quakes  (US and Global)

M5.5 – 221km W of Brookings, Oregon 2013-12-01 03:19:37 UTC
Location: 41.652°N 126.891°W depth=10.0km (6.2mi)
Nearby Cities:
+ 246km (153mi) WNW of McKinleyville, California
+ 481km (299mi) SW of Salem, Oregon

M6.4 – Kepulauan Barat Daya, Indonesia 2013-12-01 01:24:13 UTC
Location: 7.014°S 128.376°E depth=10.0km (6.2mi)
Nearby Cities:
+ 340km (211mi) WNW of Saumlaki, Indonesia
+ 353km (219mi) ENE of Dili, East Timor

Related Links

• Earthquake No. 19 Strikes N. Texas November 29, 2013
• Two More Quakes Strike North Texas November 29, 2013
• Oil Drilling Likely Caused Texas Earthquake Posted on May 17, 2009
• M3.3 Quake Strikes Azle, Texas Posted on November 25, 2013
• FEWW Earthquake Links