M5.6 earthquake shakes Oklahoma; largest in state history

Last night at 10:53pm, a magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck Oklahoma, centered in Lincoln County. The quake was felt across the entire region, including neighboring states and as far away as the Great Lakes. The previous state record for an earthquake was a magnitude 5.5 in 1952, centered near El Reno.

The shaking lasted over a minute where I was; I was actually on the phone with someone in Oklahoma City who felt the quake right before it reached me.

Did you feel it?

8.9 earthquake, 33-foot tsunami strikes Japan

8.9 earthquake, 33-foot tsunami strikes Japan

Pictures here.  

Video of the tsunami:

Earthquake in Oklahoma? You bet!

 

Oklahoma Geologic Survey seismograph trace of this morning's quake

A 5.1 earthquake struck Oklahoma this morning, with the epicenter 8 miles southeast of Norman. People reported feeling the quake all across the state, and into Kansas, Missouri and Texas. Two people in the Norman area received minor injuries.

Yes, Oklahoma does get earthquakes from time to time. At 5.1 on the Richter scale, this is the second-largest earthquake to hit Oklahoma in state history. The record holder took place on April 9th, 1952, and was centered around El Reno.

On a lighter note, Ben Burnsed, conservative activist from Stillwater, believes that he has discovered the cause of the earthquake: "Rumour has it the 4.5* Earthquake in Oklahoma today was caused by a stampede of DONKEYs and RINOs being driven out by a herd of ELEPHANTS. We expect this tremor to spread across the country over the next 3 weeks."

[*: the quake was initially a 4.3 or 4.5, but the OGS upgraded it to 5.1]

Obama: "We Can't Control Nature"

President Obama spoke today about the 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck the South American nation of Chile.

"We can't control nature, but we can and must be prepared for disaster when it strikes," he said in a brief statement at the White House, speaking of a potential tsunami looming over parts of the Pacific, including Hawaii.

Ironic, don't you think? Remind me again on what he thinks about global cooling global warming climate change?