QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.2ml

Earthquake near Buffalo, OK

USGS: 11 km S of Buffalo, Oklahoma

7:55 am CST, Dec 4, 2019 · · 6.0 km deep · released about 58 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Buffalo Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Harper County 8 kmWoodward County 47 kmEllis County 57 kmClark County 58 kmComanche County 61 kmWoods County 69 kmBeaver County 76 kmLipscomb County 76 kmMeade County 86 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
7:55 am CST on 4 December 2019 ()
Where
12 km (7 mi) S of Buffalo, OK · earthquakes near Buffalo
Magnitude
M 2.2 (ml)
Depth
6.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Harper County, 8 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2494 days ago

A magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded 12 km (7 mi) S of Buffalo, OK, at 7:55 am CST on 4 December 2019 (13:55 UTC). This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Laverne.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 58 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 260,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 180,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 16× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.2 about 58 lb of TNT

Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.

For this area

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

Before 2016, the USGS record since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km.

Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.

Where

Epicentre 36.7313, -99.6360. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Harper County, OK 8 km (5 mi) NNW earthquakes near Harper County
Woodward County, OK 47 km (29 mi) SE earthquakes near Woodward County
Ellis County, OK 57 km (36 mi) S earthquakes near Ellis County
Clark County, KS 58 km (36 mi) NNW earthquakes near Clark County
Comanche County, KS 61 km (38 mi) NE earthquakes near Comanche County
Woods County, OK 69 km (43 mi) E earthquakes near Woods County

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

44 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 1.9 24 km NE of Buffalo, Oklahoma
  2. 2.3 9 km NNE of Mooreland, Oklahoma
  3. 1.7 25 km NE of Buffalo, Oklahoma
  4. 1.9 20 km NNE of Woodward, Oklahoma
  5. 1.7 10 km S of Buffalo, Oklahoma
  6. 1.5 5 km N of Buffalo, Oklahoma
  7. 1.6 16 km E of Buffalo, Oklahoma
  8. 2.0 20 km WNW of Freedom, Oklahoma
  9. 2.3 16 km E of Buffalo, Oklahoma
  10. 1.6 16 km E of Buffalo, Oklahoma
  11. 1.9 22 km WSW of Freedom, Oklahoma
  12. 1.7 9 km ENE of May, Oklahoma
  13. 2.1 6 km NNW of Woodward, Oklahoma
  14. 1.7 10 km NW of Mooreland, Oklahoma
  15. 2.0 8 km W of Buffalo, Oklahoma

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.

On USGS

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.