Quakes near US oil hub raise concerns over storage security

New York

A SHARP earthquake in central Oklahoma last weekend has raised fresh concern about the security of a vast crude oil storage complex, close to the quake's centre, that sits at the crossroads of the nation's oil pipeline network.

The magnitude 4.5 quake struck on Saturday afternoon about three miles (five km) north-west of Cushing, roughly midway between Oklahoma City and Tulsa. The town of about 8,000 people is home to the so-called Cushing Hub, a sprawling tank farm that is among the largest oil storage facilities in the world.

Scientists reported in a paper published online last month that a large earthquake near the storage hub "could seriously damage storage tanks and pipelines". Last Saturday's quake continues a worrisome patt…