Magnitude 5.0 quake strikes near Cushing, Oklahoma: USGS

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.0 struck near Cushing, Oklahoma, on Sunday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The quake was centered 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Cushing, a small city of about 8,000 people about 50 miles west of Tulsa.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, but several people in Tulsa say on Twitter that they felt the shaking.

The quake was among the larger temblors felt recently in Oklahoma, part of a flurry of seismic activity linked to energy production that has fueled growing concern.

Two smaller earthquakes, one at a 3.1 magnitude and the other at a 3.6 magnitude, rattled the area around Perry, Oklahoma, earlier on Sunday.

About two months ago, a magnitude 5.6 quake, one of the strongest ever recorded in Oklahoma, shook the area.

Most earthquakes occur naturally, but scientists have long linked some smaller tremors to oil and gas work underground, which can alter pressure points and cause shifts in the earth.

Cushing, where Sunday's quake occurred, is the location of intersecting oil pipelines, and is considered a hub for crude oil shipment.

(Reporting by Peter Cooney in Washington and Sharon Bernstein in Sacramento, Calif.; Editing by Chris Reese)