QuakeIndex

quarry blast · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7ml

Earthquake near Ardmore, OK

No earthquake was likely felt in Ardmore in the 24 hours to 5:56 pm CST (23:56 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 180 km (112 mi) NNW, at 5:53 am CST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 23 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Ardmore

No: USGS classifies this as a quarry blast, not an earthquake. A magnitude 1.7 quarry blast was recorded 35 km (22 mi) northeast of Ardmore, OK, at 12:15 pm CDT on 24 September 2021 (17:15 UTC), less than 1 km deep.

USGS: 3 km WSW of Mill Creek, Oklahoma

12:15 pm CDT, Sep 24, 2021 · · 0.0 km deep · released about 9.3 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Johnston County 21 kmMurray County 22 kmPontotoc County 40 kmMarshall County 42 kmCarter County 42 kmGarvin County 54 kmCoal County 57 kmLove County 60 kmBryan County 73 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
12:15 pm CDT on 24 September 2021 ()
Where
35 km (22 mi) northeast of Ardmore, OK · earthquakes near Ardmore
Oklahoma today
every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.7 (ml)
Depth
0.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Johnston County, 21 km ESE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1871 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 11 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Ardmore, 35 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: Sulphur, Tishomingo, Dickson, Davis.

USGS catalogues this as quarry blast, not an earthquake.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 9.3 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,600,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,100,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 100× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 9.3 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 34.3932, -96.8650. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Johnston County, OK 21 km (13 mi) ESE earthquakes near Johnston County
Murray County, OK 22 km (13 mi) WNW earthquakes near Murray County
Pontotoc County, OK 40 km (25 mi) NNE earthquakes near Pontotoc County
Marshall County, OK 42 km (26 mi) SSE earthquakes near Marshall County
Carter County, OK 42 km (26 mi) WSW earthquakes near Carter County
Garvin County, OK 54 km (34 mi) NW earthquakes near Garvin County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 8 km NNE of Stonewall, Oklahoma
  2. 1.6 11 km SSE of Wapanucka, Oklahoma
  3. 1.5 7 km N of Mill Creek, Oklahoma
  4. 1.5 3 km WSW of Mill Creek, Oklahoma
  5. 1.5 9 km ESE of Ada, Oklahoma
  6. 1.9 6 km SW of Ada, Oklahoma
  7. 2.1 8 km SSW of Wynnewood, Oklahoma
  8. 2.0 8 km SSW of Wynnewood, Oklahoma
  9. 1.5 11 km SE of Katie, Oklahoma
  10. 1.6 1 km S of Mill Creek, Oklahoma
  11. 1.9 7 km N of Mill Creek, Oklahoma
  12. 1.6 3 km WSW of Mill Creek, Oklahoma
  13. 1.9 5 km SE of Mill Creek, Oklahoma
  14. 1.5 7 km W of Davis, Oklahoma
  15. 1.6 2 km S of Mill Creek, 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.