Oklahoma Shaken by 4.4-magnitude Earthquake

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Originally published 05:03 p.m., February 27, 2010, updated 05:21 p.m., February 27, 2010

The U.S. Geological Survey has confirmed that an earthquake has affected the Norman area.

According to the USGS Web site, a 4.4-magnitude earthquake occured 44 miles East-Northeast of Oklahoma City.


The epicenter is located three miles from the town of Sparks, Okla., the USGS stated.

The earthquake began around 4:22, and effects of the quake were felt in Norman around 4:25.

Employees at the National Weather Center in Norman said they felt the quake, along with students posting "earthquake" on their Facebook pages.

"I was just watching TV, and the whole apartment shook," Deirdra Cook, multidisciplinary studies senior, said about her experience during the earthquake. "I wasn't sure what it was at first."

Cook lives in Traditions Square Apartments East in Norman.

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SPARKS, OK -- A 4.4 magnitude earthquake shook parts of Oklahoma Saturday afternoon, according to preliminary reports from the U.S. Geological Survey.

The epicenter of the quake was three miles ENE of Sparks and 22 miles NNE of Shawnee.

The News On 6 has had reports from a number of people who say they felt their homes shake and saw pictures rattling on the walls.

"It shook really bad. It almost felt like a bomb," said Samantha Cordell, who was at the Prague Community Center at the time of the quake. "It felt like something exploded outside the community center."

No serious damage has been reported.

This is the second earthquake to strike in the last two days.

Friday morning, a 3.1 magnitude earthquake hit a little closer to Oklahoma City.

The Oklahoma Geological Survey would like anyone who felt the quake to report it on their Web site.

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The earthquake hit about three miles east of Sparks about 4:22 p.m., the survey said. Sparks is between Chandler and Meeker.

A Lincoln County 911 dispatcher said no injuries and only minor property damage were reported.

"I was actually outside, and I felt our concrete slab move a little bit. They almost didn't feel it inside the building. It came through pretty quick," said John Woods, owner of Ladonna's Grill in Meeker.

"My daughter was at home about a block away. She said she heard it coming. She said she could actually hear a rumble coming, and then it moved east to west through the house. She said it was bouncing the house so hard that it felt like someone was knocking at the door," he said.

Woods said the quake was also felt at his mother's house in Shawnee.

"She said she thought the whole kitchen was going to come down," he said.

"I was just lying down taking a nap. My husband, we have an old tree in the back, he thought the tree had fallen in the house," said Tanya Roach of Shawnee.

Her kids — who were playing outside — were knocked of their feet by the temblor.

"It shook the house ... It sounded almost like there was a semi-truck or something pulling right next door to your house. That's what it felt like," she said.

"It was just so tremendous that it really scared me. Usually, in Sparks, like the ones they've had before, we never felt anything," Roach said.

People also reported feeling the temblor in Norman, Prague, Seminole, and as far as Tulsa.

Amie Gibson with the Oklahoma Geological Survey said the earthquake's magnitude may have registered higher on state equipment. Oklahoma Geological Survey data is not yet available.