5.1 earthquake strikes east of Oklahoma City

On a seemingly ordinary day, the residents of Oklahoma City were jolted awake by a 5.1 magnitude earthquake that struck east of their city. The tremors, which lasted for several seconds, left the community in a state of shock and disbelief. This event serves as a stark reminder of the unpredictable nature of our planet and the potential devastation that can result from it.

Earthquakes are not uncommon in certain regions, but they are relatively rare in Oklahoma City. Therefore, this unexpected seismic activity has raised concerns among both scientists and residents alike. Experts are now scrambling to understand the cause behind this earthquake and whether it is an isolated incident or a sign of more to come.

The bigger earthquake was recorded at 11:24 p.m. local time about 5 miles northwest of Prague, Oklahoma, and about 42 miles from Oklahoma City, the geological survey said. The small city is home to about 2,000 people.

The shaking from that earthquake was felt across a large swath of the state, including in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, according to preliminary reports shared by USGS. Shaking was also felt as far as Wichita, Kansas, according to the geological survey.

Smaller quakes, magnitudes 2.6 and 3.5, were reported around the same area shortly after, according to USGS.

"Earthquakes east of the Rocky Mountains, although less frequent than in the West, are typically felt over a much broader region than earthquakes of similar magnitude in the west," the USGS says on their website. "East of the Rockies, an earthquake can be felt over an area more than ten times larger than a similar magnitude earthquake on the west coast."

The earthquake was shallow — just 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) deep, according to the USGS — and temblors that hit close to the surface can make the shaking more intense.

At least six earthquakes, including two greater than magnitude 4.0, were recorded near another Oklahoma City suburb in January. In April, a magnitude 4.0 earthquake was among a series of six that struck the central Oklahoma town of Carney, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northeast of Oklahoma City.

The recent 5.1 magnitude earthquake that struck east of Oklahoma City has shaken both the physical landscape and emotional well-being of its residents. This event serves as a reminder that we must always be prepared for natural disasters and work towards understanding their causes in order to mitigate their impact on our communities.

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 Sarah H

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