Oklahoma

Rumbling on: Oklahoma earthquakes continue, though less than years past

Published

2 years ago

September 6, 2024

Rumbling on: Oklahoma earthquakes continue, though less than years past

ARDMORE, Oklahoma (KXII) – While it may seem like there’s a spike in Oklahoma earthquakes this year, the data shows that’s more feeling than fact.

Since 2016, stats from the Oklahoma Geological Survey (OGS) show a steady decline in the number of earthquakes magnitude 3.0 or higher, and this year is keeping with the trend so far.

“Between 2014 and 2016, you can see there are a lot of them, I mean hundreds per month,” OGS Director Nick Hayman said. “But here we are today in 2024, and it’s really not that many.”

Earthquakes occur when stress buildup along a fault line overcomes friction and releases in the form of energy, causing the ground to shake and shift.

Hayman said humans can cause ‘induced earthquakes’ by excessive or irresponsible drilling and other ground disturbing activities.

Though, he says recent changes in legislation have led to less ground disturbances, which could be contributing to the decline in strong quakes.

Still, earthquakes are unpredictable.

“If you ask me if the earthquake number will keep going down, I can’t answer that,” Hayman said. “Nobody can.”

Though, he said OGS scientists don’t expect to see any big quakes in Oklahoma in the near future.

“We, again, we don’t really think there’s gonna be the kind of earthquakes that’ll knock a whole building down,” Hayman said. “We certainly can’t guarantee that won’t happen, but we think it’s a very unlikely scenario.”

But, what most people would consider to be a strong quake, might not be as strong as the numbers appear.

Hayman said the scale is exponential, so a 3.1 magnitude earthquake is much stronger than even a 3.0 magnitude earthquake.

“By the time you get to a five, it’s hugely bigger than a three,” he said.

OGS has around 80 devices spread out across Oklahoma that monitor for earthquakes, so anyone who thinks they may have felt a quake is encouraged to check their seismic map.

Hayman said, while it’s unlikely that a quake strong enough to cause injury will hit Oklahoma anytime soon, it’s important to remember, if the ground starts rumbling, drop to the floor, get underneath a table, and hold onto the table until the earthquake stops.

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Oklahoma

Oklahoma Duo Captures SEC Weekly Awards

Published

2 hours ago

March 24, 2026

Press Room

A pair of Patty Gasso’s Sooners earned recognition for clutch performances against Ole Miss over the weekend.

Veteran Isabela Emerling was named SEC Co-Player of the Week after her clutch grand slam powered Oklahoma past the Rebels on Monday, and sophomore Audrey Lowry earned SEC Pitcher of the Week after two outstanding appearances.

Emerling, a redshirt senior, needed just one pitch to change Monday’s series finale.

She stepped in to pinch hit for freshman Allyssa Parker in the sixth inning and ruined Kyra Aycock’s outing.

Emerling connected with the first pitch she saw and parked a grand slam deep beyond the fence in left field to put OU on top 5-2.

It was Emerling’s 11th homer of the year, which is three shy of her career-high, and it was the seventh grand slam of her career.

She also homered in the Sooners’ mid-week triumph over Memphis and hit .545 for the week with a 1.091 slugging percentage.

Lowry pitched 7 2/3 total innings across two appearances against the Rebels and allowed zero runs.

She got the start in Saturday’s opener, then stepped in for Sydney Berzon with OU down 2-1 and shut the Rebels out to earn the victory in relief.

Lowry accounted for five strikeouts and gave up four free passes (two walks and two hit batters) in the pair of appearances.

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For the season, she’s now 15-1, which ranks third nationally in wins, and has a 2.08 ERA with a 52-9 strikeout to walk ratio across 67 1/3 innings of action.

Emerling and Lowry became the second OU duo to capture recognition in the same week, and it was the first time both have been honored individually by the SEC this season.

The No. 5 Sooners will be back on the road this weekend to take on No. 20 LSU.

The series will serve as a reunion for Avery Hodge and Paytn Monticelli, who are both former Sooners, as well as Berzon, who spent the first three years of her collegiate career in Baton Rouge.

Hodge transferred to LSU following the 2024 season, and Monitcelli departed Norman this past offseason.

Berzon is coming off her longest outing as a Sooner, where she threw 57 pitches and allowed zero earned runs on Monday against Ole Miss.

The series opener is scheduled to get underway at 6 p.m. on Friday.

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Oklahoma

UCLA vs. Oklahoma State – Second round NCAA tournament extended highlights

Published

14 hours ago

March 24, 2026

Press Room

UCLA vs. Oklahoma State – Second round NCAA tournament extended highlights

Women’s Basketball

March 24, 2026

UCLA vs. Oklahoma State – Second round NCAA tournament extended highlights

March 24, 2026

Watch the highlights from No. 1 UCLA and No. 8 Oklahoma State’s matchup in the second round of the 2026 women’s NCAA tournament.

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Oklahoma

Fire in Oklahoma City scrapyard produces massive smoke plume visible from downtown

Published

1 day ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

Fire in Oklahoma City scrapyard produces massive smoke plume visible from downtown

A fire at a scrapyard near the OKC Fairgrounds has produced a massive plume of smoke visible in downtown Oklahoma City, officials report.

Oklahoma City Fire Department Assistant PIO John Chenoweth told The Oklahoman that the fire started at the scrapyard building near Northwest 10th Street and May Avenue, northeast of the OKC Fairgrounds.

The fire has been marked as “basically contained” as the Oklahoma City Fire Department is currently shifting to defensive methods. There are some active rubbish fires surrounding the metal building.

Chenoweth states there are no injuries, and all inside the building have been evacuated.

The cause of the fire and the extent of damage are unknown.

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Oklahoma fire map: See smoke, wildfires across state, red flag warnings

Track the latest wildfire and smoke information in Oklahoma with data that is updated frequently based on input from several incident and intelligence sources.

If you can’t see the map below, please click here.

How to prevent wildfires

While severely warm weather can worsen a wildfire spread, most are the result of human behavior. In fact, nearly 85% of wildfires in the U.S. are caused by humans, according to the National Park Service.

With its wide acres, rural areas and inconsistent weather patterns, Oklahoma is prone to grass fires. Forestry and safety experts offer several guidelines for residents on how to avoid starting a fire, which can often breakout from just one wrong spark.

Avoid using welding equipment.
Never drive on a flat tire.
Extinguish cigarettes completely before properly disposing of them, and never throw them outside of a window while driving.
Avoid parking on dry grass or dragging chains behind your car.

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