Strong Quake Rattles 'Pipeline Crossroads of the World'

A 5.0 magnitude earthquake centered near one of the world's key oil hubs brought down building facades and shattered windows, triggering fears the temblor may have damaged key infrastructure and rendered century-old buildings unsafe in Cushing, the latest Oklahoma town rattled by increasingly strong quakes. Cushing Assistant City Manager Jeremy Frazier told a news conference late Sunday that a few minor injuries were reported. He said the damage appeared to be contained to downtown, where piles of debris sat at the base of some commercial buildings, the AP reports.

Fearing aftershocks, police cordoned off older parts of the city to keep gawkers away. The Cushing Public School District canceled Monday classes. "Stay out of the area," said City Manager Steve Spears, who noted that while some damage was superficial, compromised foundations and other potential problems would be difficult to assess until daylight in the city of 7,900 about 50 miles northeast of Oklahoma City. Cushing's oil storage terminal is one of the world's largest. As of Oct. 28, tank farms in the countryside around Cushing held 58.5 million barrels of crude oil, according to data from the US Energy Information Administration. The community bills itself as the "Pipeline Crossroads of the World." (More Oklahoma stories.)