Online Resources for Studying Earthquakes

Shaky Ground:  Mapping Oklahoma Earthquakes

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck on Saturday morning near Pawnee, Oklahoma, northeast of Oklahoma City.  The earthquake matches the largest in the region in recent history.

Oklahoma has just recently become a seismically active state.  Most believe the increased activity is due to the expanded use of deep injection wells to dispose of wastewater and fracking (hydraulic fracturing) to extract oil and gas.

The U.S. Geological Survey tracks seismic activity in Oklahoma and around the world.  Users can read an earthquake history of Oklahoma, review earthquake and fault line maps, view animations of the seismic activity, and check news releases.

Earthquake Track provides data and mapping of recent earthquakes.  According to the site, Oklahoma has had 42 earthquakes in the last week; 121 earthquakes in the last month; and 2,501 earthquakes in the last year.

The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) has a collection of maps depicting historic seismic activity around the world available from the Libraries’ Digital Media Repository (DMR).  The Earthquake and Seismic Hazard Maps Collection include world, United States, and regional maps of historic seismic hazards and activity.

For more information, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.