At least five small earthquakes were recorded in central Oklahoma over the long Thanksgiving weekend.
The U.S. Geological Survey says a 2.4 magnitude tremor was recorded at 6:55 a.m. on Nov. 26 about five miles south of Sparks in Lincoln County. It was the fifth temblor reported in the area since Thanksgiving Day, when a 3.7 magnitude quake was detected near Prague. Three more were recorded the following day.
A 5.6 magnitude quake, the strongest ever recorded in Oklahoma, shook the state Nov. 5 and numerous aftershocks have occurred ever since.
The larger quake damaged at least 40 homes, buckled a highway and caused a tower at St. Gregory’s University in Shawnee to collapse.
Geologists say earthquakes with magnitudes of 2.5 to 3.0 are generally the smallest felt by humans.
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin has requested a federal disaster declaration in the wake of the series of earthquakes that have rumbled through the state in recent weeks.
Fallin made the formal request on Nov. 22 to help individuals, families and businesses in Lincoln and Pottawatomie counties, where the earthquakes and aftershocks have been centered. Early damage estimates show that nearly 200 homes and businesses in those two counties were damaged.
If approved, the Federal Emergency Management Agency program provides grants. Approved low-interest loans to homeowners, renters and business owners affected by the earthquake are made by the Small Business Administration Office of Disaster Assistance programs.
Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Oklahoma
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