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Outbreak of earthquakes has Oklahomans all shook up

MEEKER, Okla. — Geophysicist Katie Keranen was burying a seismometer on a farm in what is supposed to be tornado, not earthquake, country when a trio of figures came striding across the misty cow pasture, all dressed in camouflage.

Ashley Gilbreth, 33, and her two children had been hunting when yet another earthquake hit, a magnitude-3.6 quake accompanied by a thunderous boom.

Bowdie Gilbreth, 13, whose school was closed this day for quake-induced ceiling repairs, had been perched in a deer stand 17 feet up in the trees with his 11-year-old sister, Megan. They clung to the stand's rails as if they were riding a roller coaster.

What, they asked Keranen, is going on in Oklahoma?

It's what everyone here wants to know.

Keranen, an assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma, was among scientists dispatched by the Oklahoma Geological Survey, Oklahoma State University, the U.S. Geological Survey and other research groups after the Meeker area was rocked Nov. 5 by a magnitude-5.6 quake, the strongest in state history.

In a state that's home to 185,000 drilling wells, with oil derricks dotting the landscape, a pressing question is whether industrial drilling has been triggering the quakes.

Mike Terry, president of the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association, dismissed any connection between the two.

"To try to blame it on an industry that's been around for hundreds of years is pretty far-fetched," Terry said.

Geologists have traced the quakes to the Wilzetta fault, also known as the Seminole uplift.

Ashley Gilbreth, like many in the area, had never heard of it until the first weekend of November, when the quakes led her to comb through the Oklahoma Geological Survey website. There she saw a long black line representing the fault running right under the property where she and her husband plan to build their new home.

"My husband thinks it's the drilling, all the holes they left behind," she said.

8 Thanksgiving safety tips: Make a safe dinner & avoid turkey fryer ...

A Thanksgiving checklist to help you avoid a holiday in  the hospital, from our Michigan injury lawyers

William Shatner is getting attention this Thanksgiving holiday for another satiric commercial. But this funny commercial for State Farm has a great message: Be careful with your turkey fryer!

Why does Shatner care? Well, more cooking fires occur on Thanksgiving than any other day of the year. According to State Farm, grease and cooking-related claims more than double on Thanksgiving Day compared to an average day in November.

Now, the cynical injury lawyer in me - the one who has ended up suing State Farm more than any other auto insurance company in Michigan for refusing to pay outstanding No-Fault insurance benefits to people injured in auto accidents - might call this an attempt to garner good will by State Farm.  I’m sure there are also dozens of insurance bad faith lawyers around the nation, and several thousand homeowners who were actually insured by State Farm after Katrina who would also agree with me.

But this is a smart move by State Farm.  Insurance is a game based upon spreads (when they aren’t gambling reserves in the stock market). And if paying for public service announcements like this one ends up preventing cooking fires that burn down homes insured with State Farm, which in turn would have to pay out on as the nation’s largest home insurer, then it’s a good business move. Wrapping it up as a public service message makes it even better.  I’m adding a link at the bottom of this blog as to why I still recommend most people shopping for insurance stay away from State Farm - which has made my list of worst insurance companies for multiple years.

Here’s the turkey fryer video with Shatner:

When seemingly harmless events (like Thanksgiving) come up, it’s important to take a moment to remind everyone about safety hazards.  There are some, like “black-out night” - when there are more drunk drivers on the road than any other day of the year and where it makes sense to avoid going out unless you have to - or at least to exercise the same care and caution as you would on New Years.  But other safety hazards… especially when a turkey fryer is involved - well, who knew?

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