QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8ml

Earthquake near Watonga, OK

No earthquake was likely felt in Watonga in the 24 hours to 2:22 pm CST (20:22 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 42 km (26 mi) SE, at 5:53 am CST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 23 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Watonga

This page: a magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 12 km (7 mi) west-northwest of Watonga, OK, at 4:38 pm CST on 25 December 2019 (22:38 UTC), 6.7 km deep.

USGS: 11 km WNW of Watonga, Oklahoma

4:38 pm CST, Dec 25, 2019 · · 6.7 km deep · released about 13 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Watonga Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Blaine County 9 kmDewey County 45 kmMajor County 46 kmCuster County 51 kmKingfisher County 53 kmCanadian County 63 kmWashita County 80 kmCaddo County 83 kmGarfield County 85 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
4:38 pm CST on 25 December 2019 ()
Where
12 km (7 mi) west-northwest of Watonga, OK · earthquakes near Watonga
Oklahoma today
every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.8 (ml)
Depth
6.7 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Blaine County, 9 km ESE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2505 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 13 km (8 mi) from the epicentre. In Watonga, 12 km away, the estimate is intensity II (weak). Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.

Likely felt in: Watonga 12 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 13 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,200,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 840,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 75× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 13 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.1 on 2016-01-18 — about 3,300 times the energy of this one.

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 35.9035, -98.5238. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Blaine County, OK 9 km (6 mi) ESE earthquakes near Blaine County
Dewey County, OK 45 km (28 mi) W earthquakes near Dewey County
Major County, OK 46 km (28 mi) N earthquakes near Major County
Custer County, OK 51 km (32 mi) WSW earthquakes near Custer County
Kingfisher County, OK 53 km (33 mi) E earthquakes near Kingfisher County
Canadian County, OK 63 km (39 mi) SE earthquakes near Canadian County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.3 6 km NNE of Loyal, Oklahoma
  2. 2.7 6 km NNE of Loyal, Oklahoma
  3. 2.1 9 km WSW of Isabella, Oklahoma
  4. 2.1 6 km WSW of Thomas, Oklahoma
  5. 1.9 6 km NNE of Loyal, Oklahoma
  6. 2.6 6 km NNE of Loyal, Oklahoma
  7. 1.9 6 km N of Weatherford, Oklahoma
  8. 1.6 6 km NNW of Loyal, Oklahoma
  9. 1.6 9 km W of Fairview, Oklahoma
  10. 2.3 3 km NNE of Okeene, Oklahoma
  11. 1.5 3 km NNE of Okeene, Oklahoma
  12. 2.1 3 km NNE of Okeene, Oklahoma
  13. 2.1 3 km NNE of Okeene, Oklahoma
  14. 1.7 11 km WNW of Okeene, Oklahoma
  15. 1.8 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.