Preliminary magnitude-4.5 quake shakes northwestern Oklahoma

SHATTUCK, Okla. (AP) — A strong earthquake measured at a preliminary magnitude of 4.5 rattled a small northwestern Oklahoma town Tuesday but apparently caused no injuries or significant damage.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake struck about 1:25 p.m. near Shattuck, a town of nearly 1,500 population about 145 miles (233 kilometers) northwest of Oklahoma City and near the border with the Texas Panhandle.

People fled businesses along the town’s main street, said Shattuck City Manager Sam Hamilton, but no injuries or damage have been reported.

“It rattled the buildings. I thought something blew up … it was like an explosion,” Hamilton said, calling it the first earthquake he had ever experienced.

Thousands of earthquakes of varying magnitudes have been recorded in Oklahoma in the past decade. Many were linked to the underground injection of wastewater from oil and gas production, leading regulators to direct producers to close some injection wells.

Geologists say damage is not likely in earthquakes below magnitude 4.0.