Strong quake rattles central U.S.

Saturday, September 3, 2016, 12:43 PM - An earthquake struck beneath Oklahoma Saturday morning, damaging some buildings and tying the state's most powerful-ever quake.

The Magnitude 5.6 tremor struck at 7:03 a.m. near the town of Pawnee, at a relatively shallow depth of six kilometres according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

No injuries have been reported, and there have been some reports on social media of fallen buildings, but officials within Pawnee say none have collapsed outright.

However, some older buildings did suffer some damage, and town officials are surveying the area for damage, while state workers are checking bridges and highways.

"We've got buildings cracked," Pawnee County Emergency Management Director Mark Randell told the Associated Press. "Most of it's brick and mortar, old buildings from the early 1900s."

At least one historic building in downtown Pawnee showed signs of damage, with tumbled masonry.

The USGS says Saturday's quake ties in strength with a 2011 tremor in nearby Prague, Oklahoma, which saw two people injured and about a dozen buildings destroyed.

CNN cites a recent report USGS report that noted people in Oklahoma and nearby Texas face higher risk of quakes from human activity such as hydraulic fracturing -- known popularly as fracking. The report said the Oklahoma City area had a five to 12 per cent risk of quake damage in 2016.

It's not clear if Saturday's earthquake is related to fracking. Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin said on twitter that the Oklahoma Corporation Commission would be looking at wells near the Pawnee earthquake.

WATCH: The moment the quake struck, caught on camera

SOURCES: USGS | Associated Press | CNN | Thumbnail source