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USGS · 70157595

Reactivated faulting near Cushing, Oklahoma: Increased potential for a triggered earthquake in an area of United States strategic infrastructure

Daniel E. McNamara·Gavin P. Hayes·Harley M. Benz·Robert Williams·Nicole D McMahon·R.C. Aster·Austin F. Holland·T Sickbert·Robert B. Herrmann·Richard W. Briggs·Gregory M. Smoczyk·Eric Bergman·Paul S. Earle
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Abstract

In October 2014 two moderate-sized earthquakes ( Mw 4.0 and 4.3) struck south of Cushing, Oklahoma, below the largest crude oil storage facility in the world. Combined analysis of the spatial distribution of earthquakes and regional moment tensor focal mechanisms indicate reactivation of a subsurface unnamed and unmapped left-lateral strike-slip fault. Coulomb failure stress change calculations using the relocated seismicity and slip distribution determined from regional moment tensors, allow for the possibility that the Wilzetta-Whitetail fault zone south of Cushing, Oklahoma, could produce a large, damaging earthquake comparable to the 2011 Prague event. Resultant very strong shaking levels (MMI VII) in the epicentral region present the possibility of this potential earthquake causing moderate to heavy damage to national strategic infrastructure and local communities.

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Geophysical Research LettersArticle
90° N90° S · 180° W ← longitude → 180° E
Source-reported bounding extent: 35.84787403967154° to 36.110143066608245° latitude; -96.95159912109374° to -96.56364440917969° longitude. This indicates report coverage, not an exact sampling location. View area on OpenStreetMap.

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Daniel E. McNamara, Gavin P. Hayes, Harley M. Benz, Robert Williams, Nicole D McMahon, R.C. Aster, Austin F. Holland, T Sickbert, Robert B. Herrmann, Richard W. Briggs, Gregory M. Smoczyk, Eric Bergman, Paul S. Earle. 2015-10-23. Reactivated faulting near Cushing, Oklahoma: Increased potential for a triggered earthquake in an area of United States strategic infrastructure. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015gl064669

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