Other than a skylight in Dale Hall, the 5.1-magnitude earthquake that rumbled Wednesday morning across Oklahoma caused no structural damage to campus buildings, university spokesman Chris Shilling said.
A team of structural experts brought in by OU President David Boren found no damage in other buildings across campus, and no injuries were reported as a result of the quake, Boren said by e-mail.
Students in classrooms across campus reported feeling the ground shaking at approximately 9:05 a.m. Wednesday. The quake was centered six miles southeast of Norman in Noble, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
“Everyone in our class stopped for a little bit. Then our professor told us to move our desks away from the projector so we could continue class,” University College freshman Katharine Ekonomou said.
Shilling said OU Police did not evacuate any classrooms, though students were ushered away from the Dale Hall skylight in case the glass shattered. The skylight was inspected and students were allowed to go about their normal routines later Wednesday, he said.
The U.S. Geological Survey initially released a report stating the earthquake reached a magnitude of 4.3, but upon further inspection, the Oklahoma Geological Survey reported a 5.1-magnitude quake.
The quake was the second-strongest reported in state history and the strongest ever in Cleveland County. The largest quake in Oklahoma reached a 5.5 magnitude April 9, 1952 near El Reno and caused minor structural damage and injured two people.
Elsewhere in Norman, no damages or injuries were reported in connection with the quake, said Jim Bailey, Norman Deputy Fire Chief.
The tremor was felt by students at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Oklahoma State University in Stillwater and Southern Nazarene University in Bethany. There also were reports of the quake in Purcell, Lexington, Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
The Oklahoma Geological Survey reported the quake’s effects were felt as far away as northern Texas and southern Kansas.
Strongest Oklahoma quakes
April 9, 1952 — Canadian County 5.5
Wednesday — Cleveland County 5.1
April 9, 1952 — Canadian 5.0
June 1, 1939 — Hughes County 4.4
June 17, 1959 — Comanche 4.2
Jan. 18, 1995 — Garvin 4.2
Perspective
» Jan. 10 earthquake in Haiti — 7.0-magnitude
» Feb. 27 earthquake in Chile — 8.8-magnitude
» Oct. 13 earthquake in Norman — 5.1-magnitude
Geologists measure earthquakes on a logarithmic scale, meaninng that a 5.0-magnitute earthquake is 10 times stronger than one at 4.0.
*Sources: U.S. Geological Survey, Oklahoma Geological Survey
Joseph Truesdell and Chris Lusk contributed to this report
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fedorovich 1 year, 7 months ago
"The U.S. Geological Survey initially released a report stating the earthquake reached a magnitude of 4.3, but upon further inspection, the Oklahoma Geological Survey reported a 5.1-magnitude quake."
These two reports are based on different scales, see http://www.okgeosurvey1.gov/