Copyright Tulsa World
As Amberlee Darold steers the white pickup truck over a rutted cow pasture near Oklahoma City, she tries to explain what it’s like being a seismologist right now for the state of Oklahoma.
Darold works at the Oklahoma Geological Survey, the state agency charged with studying and reporting on Oklahoma’s current earthquake explosion.
Darold says she and OGS seismologist Austin Holland receive angry emails from people who think they aren’t working hard enough to figure out what’s causing the earthquakes. A self-described child of hippie parents from Oregon, Darold, 36, says she went into the job so she could make a difference in her community.
“I kind of enjoy responding politely to them. Ultimately I just tell them that I understand their concern and I’m sure it is frightening and nerve wracking and we’re doing the best we can.”
In fact, Darold and chief seismologist Austin Holland are literally digging in the dirt to gather information. On an unseasonably warm January day, they are setting up a permanent seismic monitoring station in the pasture.
An oil company hopes to explore the pasture, about 16 miles southwest of Oklahoma City, and paid for the seismic equipment because the area is close to homes, Holland explains.
Surrounded by a small crowd of journalists, he jokes that he should get some endorsement money for his appearance.
In addition to a reporter and photographer from the Tulsa World, a photographer for the New York Times and a reporter and photographer from the Washington Post are all watching Holland and Darold set up the seismic station.
The state’s frequent earthquakes and their connection to oil and gas activities has received wide attention from media outside the state, including stories in National Geographic and Time magazine.
Cameras snap rapidly as Darold leans down into a black plastic pickle barrel – situated in a large hole carved out of the earth — and places the seismometer on a small foundation of concrete.
The seismometer is unremarkable, like a small black paint can with a handle on top.
About 20 feet away, a solar panel stands next to a metal box holding the components of a small computer. Data from the seismometer is sent to the computer, where it will be transferred by cell signal to the Geological Survey computers on the University of Oklahoma’s Norman campus.
From there, the earthquake data is shared with the United States Geological Survey and other organizations for researchers to use.
Holland, 40, came to Oklahoma five years ago after earning his degree from the University of Arizona. Being a seismologist in Oklahoma wasn’t so exciting back then.
“I came here just as the earthquakes started to pick up. … Resources available to the seismic monitoring program at the time were more limited.”
Now, there are nearly 50 permanent and temporary seismometers across Oklahoma monitored by the OGS. The Geological Survey hired Darold and a public information specialist last year to assist Holland.
As he finishes shoveling the dirt, he stamps it down on top of the seismograph vault. A reporter asks him whether politics in an oil and gas state ever influences his work.
“We don’t work in a vacuum although a lot of people think science does occur in an ivory tower or vacuum. So clearly we feel pressures on both sides and really we are trying to serve Oklahomans and understand things as best we can. “
ODOT hiring earthquake consultant
Tornado-savvy Oklahomans have faced a learning curve when it comes to dealing with earthquakes.
When the state’s shaking became more frequent in 2010, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation wanted to make sure bridges remained safe. With no policy to work from, ODOT decided to inspect every bridge within a 50-mile radius of a 3.0 magnitude earthquake.
Several years later, ODOT officials met with the California Transportation Department, or Caltrans, to review earthquake preparedness.
“They almost found it laughable that we were looking at such a large radius for such a small event,” Paul Green, TITLE with ODOT, said.
ODOT reduced its standard to requiring bridge inspections within a 15-mile radius of a 4.0 earthquake, still a cautious standard compared to other states, he said.
So far, inspectors have found damage to a bridge in Lincoln County following the Prague earthquake and found concrete that had fallen off a Logan County bridge. ODOT repaired the damage, which was minor, in both cases.
Green said the agency is working to hire a consultant to develop an earthquake response protocol. He said the agency is reviewing policies used in New York, Texas and California.
Terri Angier, CHECK SPELLING AND TITLE, said the state’s bridges are designed to absorb the energy from an earthquake.
“Obviously we don’t like the earthquakes in any way but they are designed for a certain amount of that.”
Built for tornadoes, not quakes
One thing not designed well for earthquakes in Oklahoma? Homes, especially those built with brick or rock.
Bill Ellsworth, a seismologist for the United States Geological Survey, said in states such as Oklahoma experiencing earthquakes for the first time on a wide scale, “you’re dealing with structures you’ve got, not the structures you want.”
“The fragility varies greatly by structural type. A good type of building in a tornado would be a big, sturdy brick building but that’s not a good building in an earthquake.”
Ellsworth said even weak earthquakes can cause damage such as cracking walls and brick.
During the 5.6-magnitude earthquake that struck Prague in 2011, six homes were destroyed, 20 homes sustained major damage and 38 homes had minor damage, according to the Oklahoma Emergency Management agency.
Average costs to repair homes with major damage totaled $80,000, while minor were $13,000 per home, OEM said.
State Insurance Commissioner John Doak said interest in earthquake insurance continues to grow in Oklahoma, with about 35,000 policies sold last year.
However many people believe homeowners policy covers earthquake damage.
“I am very acutely aware that most consumers never read their policies and they think that they are covered for this,” Doak said.
Policies differ widely in the amount of deductibles, ranging from 2 to 10 percent of a home’s total value before coverage kicks in. Some companies also have moratoriums on new policies for 30 or 60 days following an earthquake.
Perhaps the most concerning trend for consumers involves exclusions to earthquake insurance. At least five companies have excluded coverage for earthquakes triggered by fracking or wastewater injection wells, records show.
Experts believe Oklahoma’s rapid increase in earthquakes is due to wastewater injection wells.
Roger Freeman lives just east of Lake Guthrie, where many of Logan County’s 1,258 earthquakes originated last year. He has installed piers under his home to protect his foundation and purchased earthquake insurance.
“So how do they determine what was caused by an earthquake or what was caused by fracking? If it’s not manmade and you have an earthquake, then how do you get the insurance company to pay?”
Freeman's concerns may be well placed.
Records show only 54 claims were filed by Oklahomans holding earthquake insurance policies last year. Zero claims were paid, according to the Insurance Department.