Court Suit, Fairview Quake, OCC Directives Follow Edmond Earthquake

Summary: A Fairview earthquake, Oklahoma Corporation Commission gas and oil directives, and a suit against 12 companies follow 2015’s year-end Edmond earthquake.

US Geological Survey ShakeMap for Edmond earthquake, Dec. 29, 2015: Public Domain, via USGS Earthquake Hazards Program

Oklahomans are beginning 2016 the way they ended 2015 since dozens of earthquakes already are recorded in the new year's first two weeks after the magnitude 4.3 Edmond earthquake Dec. 29, 2015.

Seven earthquakes between 5:39 a.m. Central Standard Time (11:39 Greenwich Mean Time) and 3:40 p.m. CST (21:40 GMT) brought the Sooner State year-end totals of 5,647. United States Geological Survey (USGS) geophysicists calculated magnitudes 3.4 and 3.2 for the second earthquake, at 5:49 a.m. CDT (11:49 GMT), and 3:40 p.m. (21:40) tremor. They described an epicenter 5 miles (8.05 kilometers) east-northeast of Edmond and 13 earthquakes magnitudes 2.5 to 3.4 in the Edmond area since Dec. 26, 2015.

The forty-sixth state’s northeast emerges as earthquake-prone.

Oklahoma historically furnishes at least one earthquake of magnitude 4.0 or greater every ten years even though the USGS recorded 29 such tremors just for 2015.

Geophysicists give two categories to earthquake activity in Oklahoma, with historic seismicity falling into a naturally occurring classification and with recent tremors resulting from human actions. The differentiation hits insurance claimants such as Dawne Sullivan hard when Tuesday’s earthquake left a picture window multiply cracked and toppled a 15-foot (4.57-meter) brick chimney.

Mrs. Sullivan indicated that “We have a letter they sent us that said we’re covered for man-made earthquakes” even though the insurance company currently claims non-coverage.

Matt Skinner, Oklahoma Corporation Commission spokesman, judges Edmond earthquakes atypical of man-made earthquakes.

Senate Bill 809 of Friday, May 29, 2015, keeps all actions and decisions impacting gas and oil operations under the authority of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.

The OCC listed under induced seismicity 23 high-pressure, high-volume saltwater disposal wells in Lincoln, Logan, Oklahoma, and Payne Counties drilled to the Arbuckle formation’s granite basement. Voluntary directives Aug. 3, 2015, mentioned reductions by 38 percent from 2014’s 8.84 million barrels of gas and oil company-produced wastewater injected into the Arbuckle formation. Mr. Skinner noted full compliance with directives by all disposal well operators even though SandRidge Energy Inc., refused to follow a similar directive Dec. 3, 2015.

SandRidge operates six Alfalfa County wells for wastewater-injecting the state’s Mississippi Lime formation.

The Edmond earthquake prompted city spokesman Casey Moore to attribute hour-long outages for more than 4,400 Danforth Road and Bryant Avenue substation customers to earthquake-vibrated relays.

Disposal wells injecting less than 25,000 barrels daily and producing wells powering-down and powering-up respectively qualified the Edmond earthquake and the Fairview earthquake for OCC directives. Directives Jan. 4, 2016, and Jan. 12, 2016, require cutbacks by 25 and 50 percent in the Edmond area and 10 and 20 percent in Fairview.

Daniel McNamara of USGS’s Geologic Hazards Science Center in Golden, Colorado, referenced Arcadia Lake level rises, faults near Interstate 35 and Second Street and saturated formations.

Fourteen Oklahoma City area residents stated that “reckless” profit-seeking and “ultra-hazardous” wastewater-injecting triggered their suit filed in state district court Jan. 12, 2016, against 12 companies.

Edmond earthquake and Fairview earthquake aftereffects take on persistent, post-2009 earthquake boom concerns.

Jeremy Boak, Oklahoma Geological Survey (OGS) director, at KOCO Earthquake Summit: OGS Earthquakes @OKearthquakes via Twitter Jan. 13, 2016

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

USGS ShakeMap for Edmond: Public Domain, via USGS Earthquake Hazards Program @ http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us10004a85#impact_shakemap

Jeremy Boak, Oklahoma Geological Survey (OGS) director, at KOCO Earthquake Summit: OGS Earthquakes @OKearthquakes via Twitter Jan. 13, 2016, @ https://twitter.com/OKearthquakes/status/687415079692857345

For further information:

Associated Press. 12 January 2016. “Edmond Residents Sue 12 Energy Companies after Earthquakes.” The Washington Times > News.
Available @ http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jan/12/edmond-residents-sue-12-energy-companies-after-ear/

Associated Press. 1 January 2016. “4.2-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Oklahoma City.” Time.
Available @ http://time.com/4165358/oklahoma-city-earthquake-new-years-day/

Associated Press. 12 January 2016. “Oklahomans Sue Energy Companies over Earthquakes.” Arkansas Online > News.
Available @ http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2016/jan/12/oklahomans-sue-energy-companies-over-earthquakes/

Cain, Joshua. 12 January 2016. “Oklahoma Residents Sue Oil and Gas Companies over Earthquakes.” Fuel Fix.
Available @ http://fuelfix.com/blog/2016/01/12/oklahoma-residents-sue-oil-and-gas-companies-over-earthquakes/

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Available @ http://earthquakes.ok.gov/news/

Hinchey, Kyle. 2 January 2016. “UPDATE: State Regulators Taking Action in Response to Recent Earthquakes near Edmond.” Tulsa World.
Available @ http://www.tulsaworld.com/earthquakes/update-state-regulators-taking-action-in-response-to-recent-earthquakes/article_3e6da6ea-3b01-54e0-b067-e16357050a01.html

KOCO 5 News. 29 December 2015. "Chimney torn from Edmond home after earthquake." YouTube.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbttFGXO_N4

Monies, Paul. 29 December 2015. “After Earthquakes Shake Edmond Area, Oklahoma Regulators Prepare Response.” NewsOK > News.
Available @ http://newsok.com/oklahoma-regulators-prepare-response-to-tuesdays-edmond-area-earthquakes/article/5469411

Monies, Paul. 11 January 2016. “Edmond Residents File Earthquake Lawsuit against 12 Oil Companies." NewsOK.
Available @ http://newsok.com/article/5471984

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Available @ http://www.tulsaworld.com/homepagelatest/oklahoma-regulators-prepare-response-to-tuesday-s-edmond-area-earthquakes/article_83de737c-ee66-5750-aebd-25317edee0b5.html

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Available @ http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/government/regulators-plan-response-to-early-morning-quakes-in-edmond-area/article_6bc758a0-e704-5329-9592-7f937b8a0fec.html

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Available @ http://newsok.com/article/5470545

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Available @ http://newsok.com/oklahoma-earthquake-swarm-rolls-on-leaving-many-shaken-up/article/5471263

OGS Earthquakes @OKearthquakes. 13 January 2016. "The OGS, along with reps from insurance and OIPA, are answering you're [sic] earthquake questions at 877.334.2388. #KOCOQuakeSummit." Twitter.
Available @ https://twitter.com/OKearthquakes/status/687415079692857345

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Available @ http://www.occ.state.ok.us/News/01-04-16EQ%20ADVISORY.pdf

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Available @ http://www.tulsaworld.com/earthquakes/earthquakes-shake-out-data-showing-unknown-fault-line-in-edmond/article_f6cf9644-fe95-52c8-887d-55aa5bdbac1e.html

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Available @ http://newsok.com/regulators-to-take-action-after-edmond-earthquakes/article/5470144

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