Three Earthquakes Shook Oklahoma Saturday

UPDATE: Another earthquake hit Oklahoma on Saturday, Nov. 5., at 10:53 p.m. CDT, reports the U.S. Geological Survey. The magnitude-5.6 earthquake measured 3.1 miles deep, a rather shallow depth. Its center was approximately four miles east of the city of Sparks, or about 45 miles east of Oklahoma City. The USGS reports it is the strongest earthquake recorded in the state. NBC 2 in Tulsa has said that the quake caused chimneys and walls to collapse and roads to buckle.

Three earthquakes shook Oklahoma Saturday.

Authorities say the aftershocks could be felt as far away as Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas, according to The Associated Press.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported on its Web site that a magnitude-4.7 earthquake hit at 2:12 a.m. CDT.

The epicenter was six miles north of Prague in southern Lincoln County, Okla. The AP lists this as 50 miles east of Oklahoma City and 75 miles southwest of Tulsa.

A magnitude-3.4 aftershock was reported at 2:27 a.m., and a magnitude-2.7 aftershock at 2:44 a.m.

Oh, man. I've never felt anything like that in my life, Prague City Police Department dispatcher Claudie Morton told the Tulsa World. It was the scariest thing. I had a police officer just come in and sit down, and all of a sudden the walls started shaking and the windows were rattling. It felt like the roof was going to come off the police department.

People said pictures were knocked off walls, drawers were shaken loose, and objects fell out of cabinets. Many people and pets being awakened by the movement.

No severe damage or injuries have been reported, though.

We do have several damaged buildings downtown, but it's just cracks and things like that, Morton said. Nothing is destroyed or anything like that, Morton said.

We were just shaking, and it scared us to death, Morton added.

Many residents were frightened. Phone calls flooded police departments.

At first, I thought an airplane had crashed nearby, Heather Spicer of Sapulpa told The Oklahoman. But now I believe it was an earthquake because the whole house just kept vibrating with what sounded like distant thunder outside.

This is the fifth significant earthquake to shake the United States during the past four months, according to U.S. Geological Survey data.

On Oct. 20, a magnitude-4.8 earthquake hit Texas.

On Aug. 23, a magnitude-5.8 quake -- the most extreme of the five -- hit Virginia. Reverberations were felt up and down the U.S. East Coast and parts of the Midwest, as well as Canada. A four-foot crack was found in the Washington Monument.

On Aug. 22-23, earthquakes hit Colorado. One was magnitude 4.6, and the other was magnitude 5.3.