4.8 Earthquake Rattles Kansas, Oklahoma

The epicenter was about 25 miles south of Wichita
By Elizabeth Armstrong Moore,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 13, 2014 1:00 AM CST
4.8 Earthquake Rattles Kansas, Oklahoma
This Nov. 12, 2014, photo shows the old post office in Milan, Kan., which suffered structural damage after a nearby 4.8 earthquake struck the area.   (AP Photo/The Wichita Eagle - Kansas.com, Fernando Salazar)

Kansas has seen an uptick in earthquakes since the fall of 2013, and yesterday marked the latest rumble in the state. Given a preliminary magnitude of 4.8, the earthquake struck at 3:40pm in Conway Springs, 25 miles southwest of Wichita. It hit less than 24 hours after a magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded in the southern Kansas town of Anthony, reports the AP. "I felt the earth move," says Andrea Hutchison, who was in a state Senate committee room at the Capitol at the time.

"It was a little spooky," adds farmer Scott Van Allen, who was 15 miles from the epicenter. Still, no structural damage has been reported aside from a tree that cracked a home's foundation when it uprooted. More than 90 earthquakes have been recorded in Kansas so far this year, but Gov. Sam Brownback says there's not enough evidence to blame the increased seismic activity on oil and gas exploration. (Meanwhile, scientists say the Bay Area is due for a big earthquake soon.)

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