QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5ml

Earthquake near Norman, OK

No earthquake was likely felt in Norman in the 24 hours to 10:08 am CST (16:08 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 70 km (43 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 Norman

This page: a magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 38 km (23 mi) southwest of Norman, OK, at 1:51 am CDT on 17 May 2020 (06:51 UTC), 10 km deep.

USGS: 8 km NNE of Bradley, Oklahoma

59 km (37 mi) SSW of Oklahoma City, OK · 45 km (28 mi) SW of Norman, OK

1:51 am CDT, May 17, 2020 · · 10 km deep · released about 5.4 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Grady County 20 kmMcClain County 23 kmCleveland County 44 kmGarvin County 44 kmStephens County 55 kmCaddo County 67 kmCanadian County 71 kmOklahoma County 72 kmPottawatomie 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
1:51 am CDT on 17 May 2020 ()
Where
38 km (23 mi) southwest of Norman, OK · earthquakes near Norman
Oklahoma today
every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.5 (ml)
Depth
10 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Grady County, 20 km WNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2368 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 Norman, 38 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). 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: Lindsay, Blanchard, Ninnekah, Chickasha, Goldsby, Maysville.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 5.4 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,800,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 2,000,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 180× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.5 about 5.4 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 34.9522, -97.6880. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Grady County, OK 20 km (12 mi) WNW earthquakes near Grady County
McClain County, OK 23 km (14 mi) ENE earthquakes near McClain County
Cleveland County, OK 44 km (27 mi) NE earthquakes near Cleveland County
Garvin County, OK 44 km (27 mi) SE earthquakes near Garvin County
Stephens County, OK 55 km (34 mi) SSW earthquakes near Stephens County
Caddo County, OK 67 km (42 mi) WNW earthquakes near Caddo County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 6 km SSE of Dibble, OK
  2. 1.7 6 km SSE of Dibble, OK
  3. 2.5 6 km SE of Dibble, Oklahoma
  4. 1.6 6 km SE of Dibble, Oklahoma
  5. 1.5 8 km SSE of Erin Springs, Oklahoma
  6. 1.6 8 km SSE of Erin Springs, Oklahoma
  7. 1.5 4 km S of Tuttle, Oklahoma
  8. 1.6 3 km SSW of Tuttle, Oklahoma
  9. 1.6 3 km SW of Tuttle, Oklahoma
  10. 2.0 2 km NE of Newcastle, Oklahoma
  11. 1.5 2 km SW of Tuttle, Oklahoma
  12. 3.4 7 km SSE of Erin Springs, Oklahoma
  13. 2.3 4 km WNW of Minco, Oklahoma
  14. 1.7 2 km WNW of Minco, Oklahoma
  15. 1.7 3 km WSW of Minco, 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.