7 earthquakes rattle residents in Oklahoma

There has been an increase in seismic activity recently in the state of Oklahoma and on Monday, residents there were shaken by at least seven earthquakes.

Many people described being jolted awake when the quakes started around 3:45 a.m. near Medford. Several more then followed and shook the region. The final one, a 3.1 magnitude, was recorded in Noble County around 7 a.m.

The U.S. Geological Survey said that the magnitude of one of those tremblers measured 4.7 on the Richter scale.

The Associated Press reported that the quakes were felt not only in north-central Oklahoma, but in other states as well. The shaking of one was felt in Kansas and the rattling of another was felt 300 miles away in Iowa.

Scientists have attributed the spike in Oklahoma earthquakes to oil and gas activity. The state has already experienced 720 tremblers so far this year.

"The problem is we're being totally reactionary as opposed to proactive," said State Rep. Cory Williams, D-Stillwater. "We wait for a seismic event, and then we react to it, which is an abysmal policy for handling something that can cause catastrophic damage to property and/or life."

 

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