Minor Damage to Courthouse after Northern Oklahoma Earthquake Swarm

A swarm of earthquakes has shaken parts of Alfalfa County in northern Oklahoma.

The U.S. Geological Survey says four earthquakes have been recorded around Cherokee and Helena since late on Feb. 4, including a magnitude 4.3 quake about five miles east-northeast of Cherokee at 9:08 a.m. on Feb. 5.

Alfalfa County Sheriff’s Department office manager Amanda Kutz says the earthquake damaged parts of the courthouse in Cherokee. Kutz says plaster is peeling off of interior walls and there is damage to the ceiling on the building’s third floor. Kutz says no injuries were reported.

The USGS says three other earthquakes ranging in magnitude from 2.9 to 3.8 have been recorded in Alfalfa County.