Earthquakes... in Oklahoma?

Earthquakes in Oklahoma?
By Rob McGregor
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When geologists think of earthquakes, Alaska, California and Hawaii typically come to mind, but Oklahoma was not one of them until recently. In Alaska and the west coast, the Pacific, Juan De Fuca, and North American plates are shoving each other around. Occasional, these plates get locked into one another, but they must keep moving since they are being pushed on other sides of the plates. When more pressure builds up than what the rock can handle, it cracks in an explosion far more powerful than a nuclear bomb -- an earthquake. Typically these quakes are weak, but occasional they can wreck havoc on entire nations.
The most recent example was on March 11, 2011 off the coast of Japan. A magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck the coast sending a tsunami roaring into the coast. Hundreds of people where killed and the tsunami even hit places as far away as California.Thankfully, Oklahoma doesn't have to worry about tsunamis, but why the hell are earthquakes occurring in the middle of a tectonic plate. Hawaii is sitting on top of a hot spot which is the reason why it exists, but Oklahoma has no volcanoes. Of course, it should come to no surprise that it is we humans that are causing the earthquakes. Fracking.
The diagram below shows what Hydroponic fracking is. In order to get more oil, pressurized water is forced down a hole. It cracks the rocks and opens up underground lakes and ponds of oil. "Cracks the rock" is an important quote. Under Oklahoma lies a intricate network of prehistoric fault lines that are no longer active. These fault lines would occasionally brake. Sooner or later scientists would have figured out, but it has come way to fast.



Earthquakes are typically to weak to be felt. Occasionally they can be felt Recently a magnitude 5.6 stuck Oklahoma! The entire center of the U.S. felt the shaking, and it could get worse. As we continue for our search for oil, which by the way is sending our temperatures around the global soaring, we are endangering the inhabitants of the Great Plains.


Unlike in California and Alaska, an earthquake in the eastern US can be felt from very distance places. The most seismically active places in the Eastern US is Oklahoma, Memphis, and Charlotte, South Carolina. All of these places could be the home of a large earthquake, and it could do damage in places as far as Chicago, Philadelphia, Houston, Atlanta, Dallas and even Kansas City. What should you do if you find yourself in an earthquake? Here are some tips.

- An earthquake cannot hit you if you are outside in a marge field.
- Do not run outside or inside during an earthquake. Falling debris can kill you you.
- Run under a sturdy table or desk. Stay away from saramic or glass things that could fall and brake right next to you.
- DO NOT RUN INSIDE A DOORWAY, THAT WAS SAFE IN 1940, NOT TODAY!!!!
- Get away from a collapsed building ASAP, aftershocks, sometimes more power than the first, could topple it even more.
- Prepare an earthquake kit.
Here is a list of everything you should put in your earthquake kit. Better safe then sorry, yes?
- 1 gallons of water per person for 5 days.
- Tons a banadages, and heavy ones to keep people from bleeding to death.
- Food that has a shelf life on 6+ months. Replace it when you set your clocks back or forward
- Copies of important documents such as birth certificants, insurance or money..
- Rope
- FLashlight
- Pocket Knife
- Tent
- Blankets, pillows/sleeping bags
- Entertainment -- Board games or cards.
- lighter
- paper plates, utensils
- Continued list here: http://www.sfgate.com/earthquakes/article/Make-your-own-earthquake-preparedness-kit-5410506.php





As we continue to change our planet, we need to ACCEPT the hard truth. Those who work at drilling rigs need to understand that is isn't worth it. Spawning a nation-wide natural disaster is the last thing we need. When will the first person die? When will the first priceless artifacts of our cutlers get destroyed? When will we stop those threatening our safety? If you are a creative person, starting thinking of idea on how to stop this impending disaster. Together, we can create a safe, clean environment for everyone to live in, but we have to solve our problems. Don't write these suggestions to me, write them to politicians, oil rig owners or the USGS (United States Geological Survey). Whats the worse that could happen?

Bibliography:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_fracturing

2. http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us10006jxs#dyfi

3. https://www.usgs.gov/news/magnitude-56-earthquake-oklahoma

Posts about weather, impending natural distastes, or any type of earth science will be posted every Saturday Night at 10:00 PM Pacific. Happy to receive opinions, comments or ideas. Just post below!

 

Thanks!

 

its funny cause both of you are. http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2011/06/louisiana_is_losing_a_football.html

 

I was talking on Skype with some friends back in 2014 when suddenly the whole house was creaking.. my desk was shaking, my drink was splashing onto my computer the lights were flickering, traffic outside my house stopped moving. I was terrified the big one was ready to destroy Los Angeles. . I hid under my bed. After the quake i walked into my garage and they was a new crack and i walked to my neighbors house to see if everyone was okay. That is one of the only quakes I remember.

I wrote this post because one day I will probably wake up bleeding, will open my eyes and the entire city around me will be reduced to ruble. People will be dead, and giant fires will be raging across the city, destroying whats left. We have a lot of poor people here in L.A. We are also surrounded by mountains and it hasn't rained a single drop for 8 months so, so you can imagine we have no water and no way to get out. We have only 5 freeways out of L.A, all of which will likely be collapsed. There is no way to cross the 10,000 foot tall moutains, in other words, we are trapped. What are all these people going to do? I wont lie, my family is upper class, but that doesn't make us immune to earthquakes. How will food get transported into L.A? What if it 110 degrees outside? I need everyone to be ready, or else all hell will break loose and thousands upon thousands will die. We have 20 million people living in L.A and theres no way in hell they wont riot. I am. scared. as. ****.

 

Ehh... No, I think Climate Change is a whole a lot worse than that.

 

Climate change will likely cause nuclear war. With all the major cities falling beneath the waves, people will be forced out, and our fragile society will get destroyed and.... its scary.

 

RIP