Encana has halted well completion activities on a two-square-mile pad development west of Kingfisher after a series of earthquakes rocked that area Wednesday and Thursday.

In an advisory issued Thursday afternoon, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission said Encana had paused activities at the site after a 3.2 magnitude earthquake and then a 3.8 magnitude quake was recorded.

Online information from the Oklahoma Geological Survey showed a 3.2 magnitude quake occurred about 6:25 p.m. Wednesday 13 kilometers (about 8 miles) west southwest of Kingfisher, causing Encana to halt its activity at the site at 6:47 p.m., Cindy Hassler, Encana’s director of corporate communications, said.

After a series of smaller quakes in the same area (7.45 to 8.69 miles west of Kingfisher), a 3.8 magnitude temblor was recorded 7.45 miles west of Kingfisher at 12:48 a.m. Thursday, followed by a 3.3 magnitude quake in the same location about 4:39 a.m.

After a technical meeting with the OCC’s Induced Seismicity Division Thursday morning, Encana decided to continue the stoppage, Matt Skinner, OCC spokesperson, said.

“Officially, it’s called an indefinite pause,” Skinner told the Times and Free Press. “Any resumption would first require a meeting with ISD and possibly other steps.”

Completion operations have been suspended at five Encana wells: Kenneth 3-H and 4-H and Michael 2-H, 3-H and 4-H, Hassler told the Times and Free Press.

The wells are located about 10 miles southwest of Kingfisher.

“After a series of three surface felt events, we have temporarily suspended our completion operations on the wellsite. We continue to work with the OCC on understanding these events and plan to resume operations in a timely manner. We do not expect any material impact to our production,” Hassler wrote in an email.

“The operating procedures we have in place, as required by the OCC, have helped us manage the occurrence and magnitude of induced seismicity.

“These procedures also are important in helping to ensure the safety of our employees as well as those living in the surrounding community.”

Skinner said OCC never makes a determination as to whether particular earthquakes are induced by oil and gas completion activities in the same area.

“That’s up to seismologists and other scientists to decide,” he said. “This has to do with compliance with our directive that says well completion activities must monitor for seismic activities and if there is a 2.0 magnitude or higher quake, mitigation actions must be taken.”

Issued in early 2018, the protocol Skinner refers to is addressed specifically to oil and gas activities in the SCOOP and STACK plays and was developed in cooperation with the oil and gas industry.

When the protocol was issued, Tim Baker, Oil and Gas Conservation Division director, noted that earthquakes that may be linked to well completion activity, including hydraulic fracturing, “are relatively rare and smaller on average than those linked to injection activity.”

Encana, as well as all other operators in the SCOOP and STACK areas, have access to real-time seismicity readings and are required to take mitigating action when quakes registering 2.0 magnitude or greater occur within five kilometers (3.1 miles) of completion operations.

For magnitudes in excess of 3.5, operators are required to immediately suspend fracking operations and conduct an in-person technical conference with OCC staff to “examine whether operations can resume with changes,” according to the protocol.

Hassler said the five affected wells are on a cube development consisting of basically two drilling and spacing units and nine wells.

“When completed, this development will have four pads,” she said. “We have already completed one pad with two wells, the Kenneth 6 and 7.”

Several readers reported their descriptions of the quakes on the Times and Free Press Facebook page:

Donna Reid: “I heard a boom and my bed shook at 12:48 a.m. I got up to check and looked out the windows for evidence of an explosion in my area, which is Park Community Road. Saw nothing so I assumed it was an earthquake.”

Katie Roberts: “I noticed it on and off here in El Reno. First my cats became somewhat panicked, then light but obvious vibrations would happen. Pictures and my dishes vibrated lightly and rattled a bit. It kept happening on and off. So I assumed it was a train and they were maybe switching out cars. Then I thought to look it up on the official site for earthquakes and saw there were tremors happening.”

Kathy Moore: “The first one Wednesday evening sounded like an explosion and the house shook. The one at 12:50 Thursday morning was worse. The whole house shook. I live southwest of Kingfisher on Park Community Road.

Pearl Underhill: “At 12:48 (Thursday) felt the floor rolling, door rattling, and chair vibrating. Felt and sounded like a semi went by really fast and husband went outside to make sure nothing blew up.”

Fauna Hankins: “We live 10 miles west of Kingfisher. We felt both large ones and most of the smaller ones. The worst part of both was the loud boom. The whole house shook and everything rattled. Almost knocked us out of bed both times. It felt like a semi crashed into our house.”

Beth Evans: “Sounded like a large semi coming into our neighborhood.....lots of vibrating items in our home all about 1 a.m. Thursday. We live near the library in Kingfisher.

UlandaTiller:“Ithought it was thunder, it rattled the windows and fireplace screen. I have a parrot who freaked out in his cage. [I live in] Kingfisher.”

Jeff Rempe: “I live in town off of Seay and it sounded like a small train coming up from the ground. Lasted about two minutes.”

Dennis Mueggenborg: “I just heard a vibrating sound like a truck rounding the corner in front of my home [in the Francis Addition].”

Jennifer Harris Lambert: “Light fixtures and bed shook for sure. There were three by midnight and then it happened twice today [Thursday]. I thought maybe they were using dynamite or something nearby. I live about 12 miles west of Kingfisher.”

Gina Farris Stephens: “Barely felt on Shafenberg Road [east of Kingfisher].”

Lisa Copeland: “At first heard a loud rumbling in the distance. Grew closer and realized it was a quake. It was a couple of minutes, vibrated the walls pretty good. That was Thursday early morning [at Big Four].”