An earthquake rattled central Oklahoma tonight, reportedly damaging multiple buildings in Cushing, about 50 miles northeast of Oklahoma City, and was felt as far away as Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri.

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According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake hit at 7:44 p.m. The USGS initially measured the quake at 5.3 magnitude, but later revised the measure to 5.0.

Cushing city officials said a few people come to the Emergency Medical Services center for treatment of minor wounds. At least four structures sustained damage in the downtown area, including Cushing City Hall.

Cushing, a town of about 7,900, is home to the Cushing Tank Farm, a massive oil storage facility that's touted as the world's largest.

According to USGS data, there have been 19 earthquakes in Oklahoma in the past week, including a 4.5 magnitude earthquake struck the northern part of Oklahoma last week, with an epicenter near Pawnee.

There has been a spike in powerful earthquakes throughout the Midwest in recent years, which scientists say is linked to fracking.

The USGS recorded 1,010 earthquakes of a magnitude 3.0 or greater in the region last year, nearly three times as many as the 318 temblors of this magnitude in 2009. Oklahoma alone felt 619 quakes of a magnitude 2.8 or larger from January through June of this year.

The increase of high-magnitude earthquakes in the region has been tied to the surge in oil and gas operators' use of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in which water, sand and chemicals are injected at high pressures into the earth to release oil and gas trapped inside the rock.

Hospitals and hotels are up and running in Cushing, city officials said, while the Oklahoma Department of Transportation confirmed that they are checking bridges in response to the quake. Cushing schools will be closed tomorrow. A full damage assessment will come in morning.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.</s>CUSHING, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma city official says 40 to 50 buildings sustained ‘substantial damage’ in magnitude 5.0 earthquake.</s>CUSHING, Okla. (AP) — A magnitude 5.0 earthquake has shaken central Oklahoma, causing damage to some structures.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the earthquake struck at 7:44 p.m. CST, with an epicenter located one mile west of Cushing, about 50 miles northeast of Oklahoma City. The USGS initially stated it was a magnitude 5.3 earthquake but lowered that rating to 5.0.

The quake was felt as far away as Kansas City, Missouri, and Little Rock, Arkansas.

The Cushing Police Department reported “quite of bit of damage” from the earthquake but details were not immediately available. Photos posted to social media show piles of debris at the base of commercial buildings in the city.

Cushing, which has a population of about 7,900, bills itself as the “Pipeline Crossroads of the World.” It is home to the Cushing Tank Farm, a massive oil storage facility that’s touted as the world’s largest.

According to USGS data, there have been 19 earthquakes in Oklahoma in the past week, including a 4.5 magnitude earthquake struck the northern part of Oklahoma last week, with an epicenter near Pawnee.

Scientists have linked Oklahoma’s sharp increase in earthquakes to the underground disposal of wastewater from oil and gas production.

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission has shut down some disposal wells and ordered a reduction in the amount of wastewater disposed of in others.</s>A 5.0-magnitude earthquake struck approximately one mile west of the town of Cushing in Oklahoma on Sunday, causing serious structural damage and power outages.

The earthquake centred near one of the world’s key oil hubs brought down building facades and shattered windows.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the earthquake struck at 7:44 p.m. Central time and initially stated it was a magnitude 5.3 earthquake but lowered that rating to 5.0.

The town of Cushing is a major oil hub dubbed as the “Pipeline Crossroads of the World.” It is home to the Cushing Tank Farm, a massive oil storage facility that’s touted as the world’s largest.

Scientists have linked the sharp increase in earthquakes in Oklahoma to the underground disposal of wastewater from oil and gas production with the latest 4.5-magnitude tremor centering near the city of Pawnee on November 2.

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission has reportedly shut down some disposal wells and ordered a reduction in the amount of wastewater disposed of in others.

Despite being a moderate tremor on the Richter scale, the shallow quake resulted in several buildings partly collapsing, also causing a power outage.

There was “quite of bit of damage” from the quake, the Cushing Police Department reported, as cited by AP. There was no immediate information on possible casualties or the number of buildings damaged.

Cushing Fire Department estimated the damage caused by the quake to the town center as “significant.”

A housing development accommodating senior citizens in the town sustained serious damage, according to the state’s emergency management office, News 9 reported.

Speaking at a briefing, local officials did not rule out aftershocks that could result in even more damage, adding that earthquakes have become “normal” events in Cushing.

At the moment, nothing is known about the possible damage to oil terminals, unless it has not been “disclosed,” they said, News 9’s Grant Hermes reported.

All schools in Cushing will be closed for November 7 to carry out damage assessment and ensure the safety of students, Cushing Public School District confirmed.</s>CUSHING, Okla. — A magnitude 5.0 earthquake centered near one of the world’s key oil hubs brought down building facades and shattered windows in a central Oklahoma city, rendering century-old buildings unsafe and raising concerns about key infrastructure.

An Oklahoma official said 40 to 50 buildings sustained “substantial damage” in the Sunday earthquake.

As the sun rose Monday, television news footage showed widespread, substantial damage to buildings, with piles of bricks and other debris littering the ground following the earthquake the previous evening. Cushing Assistant City Manager Jeremy Frazier told a news conference late Sunday that a few minor injuries had been reported. He said the damage appeared to be contained downtown.

Oklahoma has had thousands of earthquakes in recent years, with nearly all traced to the underground injection of wastewater left over from oil and gas production. Sunday’s quake was centered 1 mile west of Cushing and about 25 miles south of where a magnitude 4.3 quake forced a shutdown of several wells last week.

Fearing aftershocks, police cordoned off older parts of the city to keep gawkers away late Sunday, and geologists confirmed that several small quakes have rumbled the area. Frazier said an assisted living community had been evacuated after damage was reported. The Cushing Public School District canceled Monday classes.

“Stay out of the area,” said City Manager Steve Spears, who noted that while some damage was superficial, compromised foundations and other potential problems would be difficult to assess until daylight in the city of 7,900 about 50 miles northeast of Oklahoma City.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation reported Sunday night that no highway or bridge damage was found within a 15-mile radius of the earthquake’s epicenter.

The quake struck at 7:44 p.m. CST Sunday and was felt as far away as Iowa, Illinois and Texas. The U.S. Geological Survey initially said Sunday’s quake was of magnitude 5.3 but later lowered the reading to 5.0.

“I thought my whole trailer was going to tip over, it was shaking it so bad,” said Cushing resident Cindy Roe, 50. “It was loud and all the lights went out and you could hear things falling on the ground.

“It was awful and I don’t want to have another one.”

Cushing’s oil storage terminal is one of the world’s largest. As of Oct. 28, tank farms in the countryside around Cushing held 58.5 million barrels of crude oil, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The community bills itself as the “Pipeline Crossroads of the World.”

Frazier said two pipeline companies had reported no trouble as of late Sunday but that the community hadn’t heard from all companies. Gov. Mary Fallin tweeted that no damage was reported at the storage tanks at Cushing’s oil storage terminal

Megan Gustafson and Jonathan Gillespie were working at a Cushing McDonald’s when the quake hit.

“It felt like a train was going right through the building, actually,” Gustafson, 17, said Sunday night as she and her co-workers stood behind a police barricade downtown, looking for damage. “I kind of freaked out and was hyperventilating a bit.”

Gillespie said the building shook for about 10 seconds, but that he wasn’t as alarmed as Gustafson because he lives in an area that has experienced multiple earthquakes, especially in recent years.

“I didn’t think it was anything new,” he said.

According to USGS data, there have been about two dozen earthquakes in Oklahoma in the past week. When particularly strong quakes hit, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission directs well operators to cease wastewater injections or reduce volume.

A 5.8 earthquake — a record for Oklahoma — hit Pawnee on Sept. 3. Shortly afterward, geologists speculated on whether the temblor occurred on a previously unknown fault.

“I was at home doing some work in my office and, basically, you could feel the whole house sway some,” Spears, the Cushing city manager, said Sunday night. “It’s beginning to become normal.”</s>The U.S. Geological Survey reported the earthquake struck at 7:44 p.m. CST, with an epicenter located one mile west of Cushing, about 50 miles northeast of Oklahoma City. The quake was felt as far away as Kansas City, Missouri, and Little Rock, Arkansas.

The Cushing Police Department reported “quite of bit of damage” from the earthquake but details were not immediately available. The city has a population of about 7,900.

Cushing is home to the Cushing Tank Farm, a massive oil storage facility that’s billed as the world’s largest.

A 4.5 magnitude earthquake struck the northern part of Oklahoma last week, with an epicenter near Pawnee.

Scientists have linked Oklahoma’s sharp increase in earthquakes to the underground disposal of wastewater from oil and gas production.

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission has shut down some disposal wells and ordered a reduction in the amount of wastewater disposed of in others.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>CUSHING, Okla. (AP) — Dozens of buildings sustained “substantial damage” after a 5.0 magnitude earthquake struck an Oklahoma town that’s home to one of the world’s key oil hubs, but officials said Monday that no damage has been reported at the oil terminal.

Cushing City Manager Steve Spears said 40 to 50 buildings were damaged in Sunday’s earthquake, which was the third in Oklahoma this year with a magnitude of 5.0 or greater. No major injuries have been reported, and Spears said the damage included cracks to buildings and fallen bricks and facades.

Oklahoma has had thousands of earthquakes in recent years, with nearly all traced to the underground injection of wastewater left over from oil and gas production. Sunday’s quake was centered 1 mile west of Cushing and about 25 miles south of where a magnitude 4.3 quake forced a shutdown of several wells last week. Some longtime Cushing residents said Monday they’ve become accustomed to the unsettled ground beneath their feet. Others shrugged it off as a cost of doing business living next to an oil hub.

Fearing aftershocks, police cordoned off older parts of the city about 50 miles northeast of Oklahoma City to keep gawkers away late Sunday, and geologists confirmed that several small quakes have rumbled the area. Spears said an assisted living community had been evacuated after damage was reported. The Cushing Public School District canceled Monday classes.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation reported Sunday night that no highway or bridge damage was found within a 15-mile radius of the earthquake’s epicenter.

The quake struck at 7:44 p.m. Sunday and was felt as far away as Iowa, Illinois and Texas. The U.S. Geological Survey initially said Sunday’s quake was of magnitude 5.3 but later lowered the reading to 5.0.

“I thought my whole trailer was going to tip over, it was shaking it so bad,” said Cushing resident Cindy Roe, 50. “It was loud and all the lights went out and you could hear things falling on the ground.

“It was awful and I don’t want to have another one.”

In recent years, Oklahoma regulators have asked oil and gas producers to either close wastewater injection wells or cut back on the volume of fluids injected. The reductions have generally led to a drop-off in quakes and their severity, though not always.

Regulators said Monday they would shut down some disposal wells near Cushing and restrict the volume that can be used in others, but said details would be released Tuesday.

Oklahoma’s strongest quake on record, a magnitude 5.8 temblor on Sept. 3, occurred in Pawnee, on the fringe of an area that had already restricted wastewater disposal. Shortly afterward, geologists speculated on whether the temblor occurred on a previously unknown fault.

Oklahoma Geological Survey geophysicist Jefferson Chang said Sunday’s quake and several aftershocks have been occurring on a fault line located about 2 miles west of Cushing.

“The activity has been going on for the past year and a half or so,” Chang said. “This is just a spike in the activity.”

Cushing’s oil storage terminal is one of the world’s largest. As of Oct. 28, tank farms in the countryside around Cushing held 58.5 million barrels of crude oil, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The community bills itself as the “Pipeline Crossroads of the World.”

Cushing Assistant City Manager Jeremy Frazier said two pipeline companies had reported no trouble as of late Sunday but that the community hadn’t heard from all companies. Gov. Mary Fallin tweeted that no damage was reported at the storage tanks at Cushing’s oil storage terminal.

Some residents tried to resume normal lives Monday, treating the earthquake as more nuisance than calamity, even though the temblor could be a predictor of more to come.

“We live in Cushing,” said resident Susie Wooten, who was taking pictures of the cracked bricks outside her dry cleaning business. “You can’t blame the oilfields; we’re on a major fault line.”

For truck driver James Mutters, having oil tank farms so close to where he lives is a fact of life.

“If you live here, obviously you know about the oilfields,” he said. “I drive a truck, so I need to have gas. You can run all the stuff you want from the sun, but most of the stuff has to be run off something.”

According to USGS data, there have been about two dozen earthquakes in Oklahoma in the past week. When particularly strong quakes hit, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission directs well operators to cease wastewater injections or reduce volume.

“I was at home doing some work in my office and, basically, you could feel the whole house sway some,” Spears, the Cushing city manager, said Sunday night. “It’s beginning to become normal.”

Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City and Jill Bleed in Little Rock, Ark., contributed to this report.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>CUSHING, Okla. (AP) — Dozens of buildings sustained "substantial damage" after a 5.0 magnitude earthquake struck an Oklahoma town that's home to one of the world's key oil hubs, but officials said today that no damage has been reported at the oil terminal.

Cushing City Manager Steve Spears said 40 to 50 buildings were damaged in Sunday's earthquake, which was the third in Oklahoma this year with a magnitude of 5.0 or greater. No major injuries have been reported, and Spears said the damage included cracks to buildings and fallen bricks and facades.

Oklahoma has had thousands of earthquakes in recent years, with nearly all traced to the underground injection of wastewater left over from oil and gas production. Sunday's quake was centered 1 mile west of Cushing and about 25 miles south of where a magnitude 4.3 quake forced a shutdown of several wells last week.

Fearing aftershocks, police cordoned off older parts of the city about 50 miles northeast of Oklahoma City to keep gawkers away late Sunday, and geologists confirmed that several small quakes have rumbled the area. Spears said an assisted-living community had been evacuated after damage was reported. The Cushing Public School District canceled classes today.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation reported Sunday night that no highway or bridge damage was found within a 15-mile radius of the earthquake's epicenter.

The quake struck at 7:44 p.m. Sunday and was felt as far away as Iowa, Illinois and Texas. The U.S. Geological Survey initially said Sunday's quake was of magnitude 5.3 but later lowered the reading to 5.0.</s>Geologists have recorded several aftershocks in Oklahoma following a 5.0 earthquake that struck Sunday night, causing damage in the town of Cushing.

The Oklahoma Geological Survey says the aftershocks near Cushing are expected to continue and that there is a 5 chance of an aftershock stronger than the initial quake.

Scientists have linked Oklahoma's uptick in earthquakes to the underground injection of wastewater during oil and gas production. Last week, state regulators called for new restrictions on disposal wells near the town of Pawnee following a 4.5 magnitude earthquake on Nov. 1.

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin says there are no immediate reports of damage at a major oil storage hub following a 5.0 magnitude earthquake in the area.

Fallin tweeted that officials in Cushing are checking for building damage and natural gas leaks following Sunday night's quake. It was the third earthquake with a magnitude 5.0 or greater this year in Oklahoma.

The governor says no damage was reported at the storage tanks at Cushing's oil storage terminal, which as of last month held 58.5 barrels of crude oil.

Fallin also tweeted that about 40 residents of the Cimarron Towers assisted living are staying at a shelter because of damage to the building.

A 5.0 magnitude earthquake near one of the world's key oil hubs has triggered fears the temblor may have damaged key infrastructure and rendered century-old downtown buildings unsafe in the latest Oklahoma town rattled by increasingly strong quakes.

Cushing Assistant City Manager Jeremy Frazier told a late-night news conference that a few minor injuries were reported in the quake that struck at 7:44 p.m. Sunday. He said the damage appeared to be contained to downtown, where piles of debris sat at the base of some commercial buildings.

Fearing aftershocks, police cordoned off older parts of the city to keep gawkers away. Frazier said an assisted living community had been evacuated after damage was reported.</s>CUSHING, Okla. — A sharp earthquake near one of the world's key oil hubs Sunday night triggered fears that the magnitude 5.0 temblor might have damaged key infrastructure in addition to damaging buildings in an Oklahoma prairie town.

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission said it and the Oklahoma Geological Survey were investigating after the quake, which struck at 7:44 p.m. and was felt as far away as Iowa, Illinois and Texas.

"The OCC's Pipeline Safety Department has been in contact with pipeline operators in the Cushing oil storage terminal under state jurisdiction and there have been no immediate reports of any problems," the commission's spokesman, Matt Skinner, said in a statement. "The assessment of the infrastructure continues."

Oklahoma has had thousands of earthquakes in recent years, with nearly all traced to the underground injection of wastewater left over from oil and gas production. Sunday's quake was one mile west of Cushing — and about 25 miles south of where a magnitude 4.3 quake forced a shutdown of several wells last week.

The U.S. Geological Survey said initially that Sunday's quake was of magnitude 5.3 but later lowered the reading to 5.0.

The Cushing Police Department reported "quite of bit of damage" from the earthquake but details were not immediately available. Photos posted to social media show piles of debris at the base of commercial buildings in the city.

Cushing, which has a population of about 7,900, bills itself as the "Pipeline Crossroads of the World." It is home to a massive oil storage facility that's touted as the world's largest.

According to USGS data, there have been 19 earthquakes in Oklahoma in the past week. When particularly strong quakes hit, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission directs well operators to seize wastewater injections or reduce volume.

A 5.8 earthquake — a record for Oklahoma — hit Pawnee on Sept. 3. Shortly afterward, geologists speculated on whether the temblor occurred on a previously unknown fault.
Buildings in Cushing, Oklahoma, U.S., sustain damage from a moderate 5.0-magnitude earthquake.