Large Oklahoma earthquake shifted the earth by 3 centimeters, study says

The earth shifted by about 3 centimeters during the most powerful earthquake in recorded history in Oklahoma in September. The 5.8-magnitude earthquake near Pawnee tore apart houses in the rural area near the epicenter.

A new series of studies published in GeoScience World in July, which analyzed the Pawnee earthquake, revealed a number of new findings. One study detected small earthquakes that preceded the big one, as pressure built up along the fault line where the earthquake happened.

Eric Fielding of Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., used satellites to estimate how far the earth moved deep within the crust and found a shift of about 3 centimeters.

A 4.2-magnitude earthquake struck northern Oklahoma on Friday, although the number of earthquakes has fallen considerably since the Oklahoma Corporation Commission imposed stricter limits on wastewater injections where the earthquakes have been occurring, and as the price of oil has fallen.

This story was originally published July 14, 2017 at 7:13 PM with the headline "Large Oklahoma earthquake shifted the earth by 3 centimeters, study says."