QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Pauls Valley, OK

No earthquake was likely felt in Pauls Valley in the 24 hours to 5:45 pm CST (23:45 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 122 km (76 mi) NW, at 5:53 am CST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 23 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Pauls Valley

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 15 km (9 mi) northeast of Pauls Valley, OK, at 2:34 am CST on 28 February 2020 (08:34 UTC), 5.0 km deep.

USGS: 6 km SW of Byars, Oklahoma

79 km (49 mi) SSE of Oklahoma City, OK · 50 km (31 mi) SSE of Norman, OK

2:34 am CST, Feb 28, 2020 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 6.6 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Garvin County 24 kmMcClain County 37 kmMurray County 39 kmPontotoc County 40 kmPottawatomie County 44 kmCleveland County 45 kmSeminole County 58 kmCarter County 67 kmJohnston County 72 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
2:34 am CST on 28 February 2020 ()
Where
15 km (9 mi) northeast of Pauls Valley, OK · earthquakes near Pauls Valley
Oklahoma today
every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Garvin County, 24 km SW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2445 days ago

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

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Pauls Valley, 15 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Stratford, Wynnewood, Maysville, Lexington.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 6.6 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,300,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,600,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 140× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 6.6 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 34.8377, -97.1082. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Garvin County, OK 24 km (15 mi) SW earthquakes near Garvin County
McClain County, OK 37 km (23 mi) WNW earthquakes near McClain County
Murray County, OK 39 km (24 mi) S earthquakes near Murray County
Pontotoc County, OK 40 km (25 mi) ESE earthquakes near Pontotoc County
Pottawatomie County, OK 44 km (27 mi) NNE earthquakes near Pottawatomie County
Cleveland County, OK 45 km (28 mi) NNW earthquakes near Cleveland County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 9 km SE of Katie, Oklahoma
  2. 1.8 Oklahoma
  3. 1.5 10 km W of Davis, Oklahoma
  4. 1.5 5 km SE of Dibble, Oklahoma
  5. 1.7 8 km W of Davis, Oklahoma
  6. 1.7 7 km SE of Erin Springs, Oklahoma
  7. 1.5 6 km SSE of Dibble, OK
  8. 1.7 6 km SSE of Dibble, OK
  9. 1.5 9 km SE of Katie, Oklahoma
  10. 2.5 6 km SE of Dibble, Oklahoma
  11. 1.6 6 km SE of Dibble, Oklahoma
  12. 1.5 8 km SSE of Erin Springs, Oklahoma
  13. 1.8 11 km SE of Katie, Oklahoma
  14. 2.1 6 km NW of Ada, Oklahoma
  15. 1.5 8 km S of Hickory, 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.