UPTICK IN OKLAHOMA SEISMICITY TRENDS WARRANTS SHIFT IN PUBLIC OUTREACH

Seismicity in the state of Oklahoma has always existed. Geologically, the state has the only Quaternary active fault scarp east of the Rockies—the Meers Fault, which is estimated to have generated a M7 earthquake 600-1300 years ago. Although seismicity and seismic hazard had always been present in the state, historic earthquakes were infrequent and scattered about sparsely populated parts of the state.

Before 2009, Oklahoma experienced an average of less than three M3+ earthquakes per year. Since 2009, the seismicity rate increased dramatically, reaching its peak in 2015, with 903 M3+ earthquakes that year, followed by three M5+ earthquakes in 2016, including the strongest earthquake in Oklahoma instrumented history (the Pawnee M5.8 earthquake). This recent surge of frequent and strong earthquakes occurred predominantly in the central and northcentral parts of the state, which happen to be more densely populated.

As scientists and educators, we face the challenge of reaching out to a population whose preconceived notions of earthquakes were likely formed from exaggerated Hollywood interpretations of what happens when “the big one” strikes. We present a two-pronged initiative to a) promote geoscience education throughout Oklahoma, while b) collecting valuable seismic data. We will distribute inexpensive seismometers to K-12 teachers and educational institutions, and fully support educators in their setup, usage, and integration into the curricula. We will provide professional development experiences to demonstrate and develop ways to align the use of this technology with appropriate Oklahoma Academic Science Standards. We will carefully design three-dimensional instructional tasks and work with teachers to develop accompanying lessons during workshops. In addition, the network of distributed seismometers will allow the OGS to better locate earthquakes across the state, for use by research scientists, regulators, and policy makers. Thus, these weak-motion sensors not only serve as educational outreach tools, but also increase the Oklahoma seismic network density and coverage.