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Aftershocks and Ongoing Evolution of Seismicity Surrounding the Damaging 2024 M5.1 Prague Earthquake in Oklahoma

Description: 

In February 2024, a M5.1 earthquake occurred near the epicenter of the 2011 M5.7 Prague earthquake, approximately 75 km east of Oklahoma City. The 2024 Prague event had several homes reporting significant damage to chimneys and other minor structural damage. Shortly after the event, the Oklahoma Geological Survey deployed a dense array of USGS-supplied accelerometers and University-owned nodes around the Prague area to monitor aftershocks. This rapid response effort aims to investigate the aftershock sequence and assess the role of deep wastewater disposal in changing the subsurface pressure state.

We will present the latest results on the aftershock evolution of this sequence, which has already culminated in over 5,000 aftershocks, and evolving pressure state of the subsurface. Notably, the area near the 2011 and 2024 events has exhibited relatively persistent seismicity throughout the last decade, with interruptions only by months-long periods of quiescence since initiation of activity. These damaging events, amidst declining injection trends, have important implications for understanding long-lived hazards in areas affected by human-induced seismicity. We will show our preliminary findings from our deployment and discuss their implications for understanding long-term seismic risk and pressure dynamics in induced seismicity zones.

Across Oklahoma, seismicity peaked in 2015 when there were ~900 M3.0+ earthquakes, a dramatic increase from a tectonic background rate of just 1-2 M3.0+ earthquakes per year prior to 2009. Many of those events are now understood to have been induced by wastewater disposal with some events causing moderate, localized damage to rural communities. While the earthquake rate has significantly declined, such that there were 18 and 24 M3.0+ earthquakes in 2023 and 2024, respectively, seismicity across the state remains several times higher than the rate of pre-2009 levels.

Session: Mechanistic Insights into Fluid-induced Earthquakes from the Laboratory to the Field - II

Type: Oral

Date: 4/15/2025

Presentation Time: 04:45 PM (local time)

Presenting Author: Jacob

Student Presenter: No

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