Oklahoma quake prompts shutdown of gas-linked wells

“We estimate that at any one time, there are about 3,200 active disposal wells”, Skinner said.

The wells will be shut down within 10 days according to a schedule that Skinner says is necessary because seismologists have warned that a large and sudden shutdown of the wells could cause another natural disaster.

There were no immediate reports of any casualties or injuries in Pawnee but several of the town’s buildings suffered damages.

Late Saturday evening, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin declared a State of Emergency for Pawnee, Oklahoma.

The quake happened at 7:02 a.m. near Pawnee, Oklahoma, about 300 miles from Dallas and about 70 miles from Oklahoma City.

Pawnee police said that no buildings in the city had collapsed but windows were shattered and the facades of some downtown brick buildings from the late 1800s and early 1900s were damaged. A 2015 report from the organization says there’s a “very low risk” that fracking causes earthquakes that could be felt above ground.

Pawnee Mayor Brad Sewell told KOKI-TV that some sandstones from damaged historic buildings tumbled onto the sidewalk during the quake. Randell said the man was treated at a hospital and released.

The earthquake’s epicenter was near Pawnee, Oklahoma, but the effects were felt as far away as Chicago and San Antonio.

“Without studying the specifics of the wastewater injection and oil and gas production in this area, the USGS can not now conclude whether or not this particular quake was caused by industrial-related, human activities”, the agency said in a statement.

Stonework litters the sidewalk outside an empty jewelry store at the corner of Sixth and Harrison in Pawnee, Oklahoma, U.S. September 3, 2016 after a 5.6 quake struck near the north-central Oklahoma town.

One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded in Oklahoma has rattled a state where seismic activity has become a growing concern and sent tremors felt in six neighbouring states, the United States Geological Survey says.

“We’re just trying to determine just how widespread” the damage is, Randell said. In 2014, there were 659 earthquakes of that magnitude or higher.

The magnitude 5.6 quake, which was felt from South Dakota to Texas, prompted the closure of some 35 wastewater disposal wells in the area, officials said. Also, three buildings in the city of Pawnee, which has a population of 2,000, were partially damaged. Saturday’s quake rattled prominent areas of the Great Plains, including Missouri, Kansas, Texas, Arkansas, Nebraska and Iowa. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article.

Oil industry and government officials deny that hydraulic fracking is causing the quakes.