Oklahoma Earthquake 2011: USGS Reports Strongest Ever with Countless Aftershocks

A 5.6-magnitude earthquake rocked Oklahoma on Saturday bringing countless aftershocks in what was the strongest quake ever according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Aftershocks continued well in Sunday morning after a weekend of quakes caused a state highway to buckle in three places, destroyed homes and injured one person.

According to CNN, one man was injured as he tripped and hit his head while bolting from his home in Prague. Emergency management said three sites along U.S. Route 62 buckled but since have been repaired.

The USGS reported the largest quake at 5.6 happened at 10:52 p.m. CDT which was mostly responsible for damages done to homes in Lincoln County, east of Oklahoma City.

By early Sunday morning, 10 aftershocks were reported while more, which will likely to continue for months, have been felt. As of Sunday morning, USGS reported 15 earthquakes ranging from 2.7 to 5.6-magnitude happened since 4 a.m. CST on Sunday.

Seismologist Paul Caruso of the USGS said two whopping 4.0 magnitude aftershocks at 3:40 a.m. and about 9 a.m. CST on Sunday was felt as far as Chicago and Texas. Residents of Kansas City, Neb. reported the quake was felt there as well, rattling windows and shacking houses for nearly a minute, according to Reuters. The smallest aftershock, according to the USGS, was 2.7-magnitude.

Caruso also said the USGS Web site crashed during the quake due to the amount of people logging on, which hasn't happened since the last 5.8 magnitude quake in late August.

The quake, which cause has not yet been determined, was the strongest ever in Oklahoma, shattering a record in 1952 when a magnitude 5.5 struck the state. Oklahoma typically endures 50 earthquakes per year, though it frequently gets more tornadoes.

This is the fifth earthquake to shake the U.S. over the past four months, according to USGS data.