The National Earthquake Information Center reported that there was an earthquake struck about six miles east of Norman. The earthquake was first spotted on detection equipment at the center at about 9 a.m. It was a preliminary reading of 4.5 on the magnitude. Some minor damage has been reported such as broken windows in Norman.
Earthquakes larger inland
Earthquakes that happen inland tend to be felt further away than those that happen on the sea since the waves travel through earth faster than they do in water. In the case of the earthquake today in Oklahoma the tremors traveled through the ground and were felt as far away as Wichita, Kansas. When the earthquake struck police officers in Norman ran into the street to see if a truck had hit the building.
While earthquakes that far inland are rare, they are not unheard of. The world’s largest inland fault is located near New Madrid, Missouri. When a massive earthquake hit that fault in the 1800s it rang church bells as far away as Boston. The massive quake also caused the Mississippi River to run backwards and geysers of steam exploded from within fields as cracks in the earth opened up.
Earthquake faults are also scattered about other Midwestern states, such as Illinois. In the past year small quakes have happened such as a small tremor that shook areas Northwest of Chicago, such as Elgin. These quakes tend to be minor as the fault lines are rather small.
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