Quakes continue in southeast Oklahoma
Regulators’ investigation into potential link between disposal well, earthquakes is ongoing
“So what we are seeing are aftershocks to the activities that were happening months ago.” Jake Walter Oklahoma’s state seismologist
QUINTON — The ground is still shaking as regulators’ investigation into a potential link between earthquakes and a now-idled saltwater disposal well continues.
About a dozen events have happened in and around Quinton over the past week, with the strongest — a magnitude 3.0 — happening Sept. 1.
Jake Walter, Oklahoma’s state seismologist, said Friday data collected through the Oklahoma Geological Survey’s 94 monitoring stations over that time revealed about what scientists would expect to see after the 3.7 magnitude temblor that occurred about a kilometer south of town on Aug. 24.
He added that software upgrades installed by the survey earlier this year are giving researchers as good of a picture of what’s happening underground in the area as they ever had, particularly because many of the recent events have not been strong enough to be felt.
“Even when these wells are shut in, you can often times have continued seismicity for several weeks, months, or even years after the fact,” Walter said. “Usually, the frequencies and magnitudes decline over time, but earthquakes produce earthquakes.
“So what we are seeing are aftershocks to the activities that were happening months ago.”
Walter said seismic activities near Quinton have been ongoing for a couple of years, and that the survey had been working with regulators to evaluate whether or not the idled well, the Straight 1 SWD, was connected with what had been happening.
The well’s operator, Waterbridge Arkoma Operating, agreed to honor regulators’ directive to shut the well down in mid-August as area temblors intensified.
Beyond Quinton, Walter said Friday regulators also are keeping a close eye on other seismic events that happened recently near Woodward and near Lake Texoma.
“A magnitude 3 earthquake is something that is felt by a lot of people,” Walter said. “The machine learning software, though, has given us the ability to keep track of smaller magnitude events that otherwise would have gone undetected.”
No doubt, the Aug. 24 event was felt by Quinton area residents.
Among those surprised by the shaking was Nicole Sustaire, who owns Grandpa’s Pizza/Hatch Chile Grill in town.
“It scared me. I was just standing there cooking, and I felt the shaking and looked up and my tiles were shaking on the ceiling,” she said.