QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5ml

Earthquake near Buffalo, OK

No earthquake was likely felt in Buffalo in the 24 hours to 6:23 pm CST (00:23 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 197 km (122 mi) SE, at 5:53 am CST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 23 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Buffalo

This page: a magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) north of Buffalo, OK, at 9:55 pm CDT on 3 June 2021 (02:55 UTC), 5.0 km deep.

USGS: 5 km N of Buffalo, Oklahoma

9:55 pm CDT, Jun 3, 2021 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 5.7 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Harper County 10 kmClark County 43 kmComanche County 47 kmWoodward County 59 kmWoods County 70 kmEllis County 74 kmMeade County 77 kmBeaver County 78 kmKiowa County 81 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
9:55 pm CDT on 3 June 2021 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) north of Buffalo, OK · earthquakes near Buffalo
Oklahoma today
every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.5 (ml)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Harper County, 10 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1983 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 Buffalo, 5 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 5.7 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 2,600,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,900,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 170× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.5 about 5.7 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 36.8813, -99.6212. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Harper County, OK 10 km (6 mi) SSW earthquakes near Harper County
Clark County, KS 43 km (27 mi) NNW earthquakes near Clark County
Comanche County, KS 47 km (29 mi) NE earthquakes near Comanche County
Woodward County, OK 59 km (37 mi) SSE earthquakes near Woodward County
Woods County, OK 70 km (43 mi) ESE earthquakes near Woods County
Ellis County, OK 74 km (46 mi) S earthquakes near Ellis County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 11 km NE of May, Oklahoma
  2. 1.6 10 km NE of May, Oklahoma
  3. 2.0 18 km SW of May, Oklahoma
  4. 1.6 20 km NNW of Mooreland, Oklahoma
  5. 1.5 23 km NE of Fort Supply, Oklahoma
  6. 1.9 23 km NE of Fort Supply, Oklahoma
  7. 1.8 22 km WSW of Freedom, Oklahoma
  8. 1.8 23 km NE of Fort Supply, Oklahoma
  9. 1.5 18 km ENE of Fort Supply, Oklahoma
  10. 1.6 5 km NW of Fort Supply, Oklahoma
  11. 1.6 14 km NE of Fort Supply, Oklahoma
  12. 1.8 14 km SE of Buffalo, Oklahoma
  13. 1.6 5 km NNE of Fort Supply, Oklahoma
  14. 1.6 10 km NNE of May, Oklahoma
  15. 1.9 9 km SW of Englewood, Kansas

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.