Four earthquakes rattle Oklahoma in 18 hours, geologists say

A swarm of at least four earthquakes reaching up to 2.5 magnitude rattled Oklahoma in an 18-hour span Thursday and Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey reports.

The other quakes in the swarm ranged from 1.5 to 1.8 magnitude, according to the USGS.

The first quake, the magnitude 2.5, hit around 1:10 p.m. Central time Thursday and was centered about 9 miles northeast of Leon, near the Texas border, the USGS reported.

The second temblor, measuring at 1.8, came at 3:59 p.m. Central time Thursday, according to the USGS. It occurred around a mile away from Medicine Park, which is situated in the Wichita Mountains 85 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.

At 8:17 p.m., a third earthquake measuring at a 1.7 magnitude occurred 5 miles southeast of Kingfisher, which is 50 miles northwest of Oklahoma City, the USGS reported.

The fourth earthquake occurred at 6:59 a.m. Friday and had a 1.6 magnitude, the USGS said. It rattled a few miles away from Lucien, less than 60 miles away from the previous earthquake near Kingfisher.

No injuries or damage were reported in any of the earthquakes.

Magnitude “measures the energy released at the source of the earthquake” while intensity is determined by the quake’s effect on buildings and people, the USGS says.

Quakes measuring between magnitudes 1.0 and 3.0 are considered level I on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale, meaning that the quakes typically aren’t felt, according to the USGS.