On Friday in a rural area close to Oklahoma with Kansas boarder an estimated magnitude 4.2 earthquake occurred, this was recorded by the U.S. Geological Survey. The USGS reported that the earthquake took place at 7:56 a.m. near Manchester, this is a town containing about 100 inhabitants about 161 kilometers (100 miles) north of the city Oklahoma.

(Photo : Socrates Bangun)

Possible Cause of the Earthquake

No injuries or damages were disclosed, Max Hess Grant County Commissioner whose region includes Manchester said.
 The countryside in north Oklahoma is about 89 kilometers (55 miles) northwest of where current stories of earthquakes were documented. "The occurrence of the earthquakes were probably connected to the underground waste water injection that is generated by oil and gas companies" says the Geologists.

In reaction to the quake, Oklahoma Corporation Commission instructed the oil and gas workers to stop the dumping of waste water within 5 kilometers (3 miles) where the earthquake took place and also to reduce the quantity of wastes disposed within 5 to16 kilometers (3 to 6 miles).  

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Past Earthquakes in Oklahoma

In 2009, Oklahoma experienced a rush in seismicity. This surge was so strong that the magnitude of the earthquake was more intense than Carlifornia's from 2014 through 2017. This earthquake was caused by an oil and gas connected process and was due to fracking. 

On September 3, 2016 an earthquake of magnitude 5.8 happened in Oklahoma at about 12:02:44 utc (7:02 am local time) strucked. The magnitude was revised by the USGS from 5.6 based on extensive analysis of the seismic recording, This is one of the largest earth quake documented in Oklahoma till today.

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