PAWNEE, Okla. — More than a dozen small earthquakes have been recorded in northern Oklahoma and one in south-central Kansas.
No injuries or damage are reported.
The U.S. Geological Survey recorded 13 quakes Oklahoma between 6:55 p.m. Friday and 2:21 a.m. Saturday, including a magnitude 3.5 temblor near Fairview and a 3.2 magnitude quake near Cherokee, both about 100 miles northwest of Oklahoma City.
The other Oklahoma quakes range in magnitude from 1.2 to 2.9 and were near Medford and near Pawnee the site of a magnitude 5.8 earthquake on Sept. 3.
The Kansas quake was magnitude 2.9 and recorded at 8:18 a.m. Saturday near Belle Plaine, about 27 miles north of the Oklahoma-Kansas state line.
Scientists have linked the quakes to the underground disposal of wastewater from oil and natural gas production.
Friday, the Oklahoma Geological Survey announced the hiring of a new state seismologist to help study the increase in earthquakes linked to oil and gas wastewater disposal.
Survey Director Jeremy Boak announced Jacob Walter will assume the post in November. Walter is a research associate at the Institute for Geophysics at the University of Texas. His research interests include tectonic tremor and slow slip; earthquakes; and seismic triggering of earthquakes.
Oklahoma has seen a dramatic increase in seismic activity in recent years, including a 5.8-magnitude quake on Sept. 3 that was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in the state. It shook several states, including nearby Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas.
