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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