Magnitude-5.1 earthquake shakes Kansas, Oklahoma
A magnitude-5.1 earthquake, the largest earthquake in the region in nearly five years, was recorded by the United States Geological Survey at 11:07 a.m. Saturday, 17 miles northwest of Fairview, Okla.
In addition to its size, the quake was at a relatively shallow depth of 1.2 miles, increasing its likelihood to be felt.
The earthquake was felt by many residents in Wichita, roughly 115 miles to the northeast. Reports of the earthquake flooded social media from users throughout Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, New Mexico, Nebraska, Texas, Arkansas and Iowa.
An aftershock quake with a magnitude of 3.9 was recorded 10 minutes later in Woods County, Okla.
The largest recent earthquake in the Kansas-Oklahoma region was a magnitude-5.6 quake, recorded on Nov. 6, 2011.
If Saturday’s earthquake’s epicenter had been roughly 40 miles north, it would have tied the record for the largest earthquake in Kansas. An estimated magnitude-5.1 quake shook Manhattan on April 24, 1867.
Residents can add to USGS data by filling out a survey at http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us20004zy8#impact_tellus.
Joshua Wood: 316-268-6413, @joshwood
This story was originally published February 13, 2016 at 11:43 AM with the headline "Magnitude-5.1 earthquake shakes Kansas, Oklahoma."