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5.1 Magnitude Earthquake Was Oklahoma's Largest Since 2011

A 5.1-magnitude earthquake that struck  northwestern Oklahoma over the weekend was widely felt in Kansas City and as far south as Dallas and could be one of the largest ever recorded in Oklahoma.

The U.S. Geological Survey says Saturday’s late-morning temblor is likely the state's largest since 2011, when a 5.6-magnitude temblor injured two people and damaged homes near the town of Prague.

Steve Foster, the emergency manager for Woods County, says no injuries or major damage were reported from the intense Saturday quake or its aftershocks.

“Yeah, we’re holding in there. It shook and rattled a bunch of windows, I think, in everyone’s stores and around everybody’s houses, but that’s about it.”

Scientists say underground injection of wastefluid byproducts of oil and gas production is fueling Oklahoma’s earthquake boom. Regulators have been cracking down. On Tuesday, they will detail a new plan to reduce injection volumes at more than 200 wells over five thousand square miles.

Joe was a founding reporter for StateImpact Oklahoma (2011-2019) covering the intersection of economic policy, energy and environment, and the residents of the state.
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