QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0ml

Earthquake near McAlester, OK

No earthquake was likely felt in McAlester in the 24 hours to 2:05 am CST (08:05 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 220 km (136 mi) WNW, at 5:53 am CST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 23 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near McAlester

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 39 km (24 mi) west-southwest of McAlester, OK, at 3:39 am CDT on 30 August 2020 (08:39 UTC), 7.0 km deep.

USGS: 9 km WNW of Ashland, Oklahoma

3:39 am CDT, Aug 30, 2020 · · 7.0 km deep · released about 30 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Coal County 26 kmHughes County 29 kmPittsburg County 41 kmAtoka County 47 kmPontotoc County 49 kmSeminole County 56 kmJohnston County 70 kmOkfuskee County 76 kmMcIntosh County 78 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
3:39 am CDT on 30 August 2020 ()
Where
39 km (24 mi) west-southwest of McAlester, OK · earthquakes near McAlester
Oklahoma today
every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.0 (ml)
Depth
7.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Coal County, 26 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2264 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 23 km (14 mi) from the epicentre. In McAlester, 39 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: Coalgate.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 30 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 500,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 350,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 32× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 30 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 34.7985, -96.1668. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Coal County, OK 26 km (16 mi) SSW earthquakes near Coal County
Hughes County, OK 29 km (18 mi) NNW earthquakes near Hughes County
Pittsburg County, OK 41 km (25 mi) ENE earthquakes near Pittsburg County
Atoka County, OK 47 km (29 mi) SSE earthquakes near Atoka County
Pontotoc County, OK 49 km (30 mi) W earthquakes near Pontotoc County
Seminole County, OK 56 km (35 mi) NW earthquakes near Seminole County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 5 km NNE of Sasakwa, Oklahoma
  2. 1.7 12 km NNE of Arpelar, Oklahoma
  3. 1.9 11 km E of Lamar, Oklahoma
  4. 1.6 6 km S of Yeager, Oklahoma
  5. 1.6 6 km S of Yeager, Oklahoma
  6. 1.6 7 km ESE of Arpelar, Oklahoma
  7. 1.8 6 km SSE of Yeager, Oklahoma
  8. 1.5 8 km NNE of Stonewall, Oklahoma
  9. 1.7 5 km SSE of Yeager, Oklahoma
  10. 3.1 6 km SSE of Yeager, Oklahoma
  11. 1.5 9 km ESE of Ada, Oklahoma
  12. 2.5 5 km NNW of Arpelar, Oklahoma
  13. 2.1 5 km WNW of Horntown, Oklahoma
  14. 1.7 3 km WNW of Horntown, Oklahoma
  15. 1.5 6 km SSW of Lehigh, 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.