Earthquake of magnitude 5.1 jolts Oklahoma City, aftershocks warning issued

The town of Prague is about 57 miles (92 kilometres) east of Oklahoma City, where residents reported they felt the jolts from the earthquake

Oklahoma was among five states jolted by an earthquake late Friday night. According to the data from the US Geological Survey, a 5.1 magnitude earthquake occurred in Central Oklahoma around 11:24 pm. The agency said that it was centred 8 kilometres (4.9 miles) northwest of Prague, per Associated Press.

An earthquake of 5.1 magnitude was reported in Oklahoma on Friday(Representational Image)

5.1 magnitude earthquake jolts Oklahoma City

The town of Prague is about 57 miles (92 kilometres) east of Oklahoma City, where residents reported they felt the jolts from the earthquake. The outlet adds that the residents in Shawnee, Stillwater and Tecumseh also felt the shaking from the earthquake, as reported by KFOR-TV.

According to the USGS, the earthquake was shallow, only 3 kilometres (1.8 miles) deep. However, the tremors closer to the surface can make the shaking from an earthquake feel more intense. Though there were no reports of any immediate damages, the USGS warned residents of potential aftershocks.

This comes after a series of earthquakes were recorded in Oklahoma in January. The outlet adds that at least six earthquakes were recorded near another Oklahoma City suburb. Two of these earthquakes were greater than magnitude 4.0. As per the NY Post, Friday's earthquake ranked among the top four greatest events to impact Oklahoma since 1900.

In 2016, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake occurred in the Sooner State, causing moderate damage. The calamity was tied to wastewater injection from oil and gas production, per the outlet. It has previously been reported by the USGS that several earthquakes throughout the Southern Plains were linked to human activities.

The agency added that “fracking,” which is the process of injecting either water and sand or even chemicals into the ground, can lead to earthquakes. It is done in order to break up the bedrock to reach oil and gas reserves. In addition to being a trigger cause for earthquakes, this process can also impact groundwater.