4.5-magnitude earthquake rocks Oklahoma and felt in neighbouring states

The United States Geological Survey reported the “notable” quake at around 1pm EST

A 4.5-magnitude (M) earthquake has been registered around five miles from the small city of Medford, Oklahoma.

The United States Geological Survey reported the “notable” quake at around 11.10am local time.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, Grant County’s emergency management director, Madelline Wheeler told the Associated Press.

USGS’s “Community Intensity Map” had reports of strong shaking and light damage near the towns of Enid and Stillwater. The threshold for damage usually starts at 4.0.

A 4.5-magnitude earthquake struck on Monday close to Medford, Oklahoma (USGS)

Reports of seismic activity came in from the Oklahoma City area and Tulsa. The quake was also felt across state lines in Wichita, Kansas, and Great Bend, along with Arkansas.

Medford, which has a population of around 1,000 people, is located about 120 miles north of Oklahoma City.

On Sunday, USGS also reported a 4.0-M earthquake around three miles west of the Palomar Observatory and 60 miles north of San Diego in California.

The strongest earthquake on record in Oklahoma was a magnitude 5.8 that was recorded near Pawnee in September 2016.

Since 2009, Oklahoma has seen a spike in earthquake activity, USGS said.

Some of the earthquakes have been caused by hydraulic fracturing for fossil fuels - so-called “fracking”. The largest earthquake induced by fracking in the state was a M3.6 earthquake in 2019.

However the majority of earthquakes in Oklahoma are caused by the oil and gas industry’s wastewater disposal - where the liquid byproducts are injected underground, below ground water or drinking water aquifers.

State regulators have directed several producers to close or reduce volumes in some wells after recent quakes.

AP contributed to this report