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 1:07 am CST (07:07 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 25 km (15 mi) east-northeast of Buffalo, OK, at 8:32 pm CST on 23 January 2022 (02:32 UTC), 6.2 km deep.

USGS: 24 km ENE of Buffalo, Oklahoma

8:32 pm CST, Jan 23, 2022 · · 6.2 km deep · released about 6.2 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Comanche County 29 kmHarper County 29 kmClark County 49 kmWoods County 53 kmWoodward County 59 kmKiowa County 69 kmBarber County 70 kmEllis County 87 kmMeade County 92 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
8:32 pm CST on 23 January 2022 ()
Where
25 km (15 mi) east-northeast of Buffalo, OK · earthquakes near Buffalo
Oklahoma today
every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.5 (ml)
Depth
6.2 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Comanche County, 29 km NNE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1752 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, 25 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 6.2 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 2,500,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,700,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 150× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.5 about 6.2 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 36.9492, -99.3902. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Comanche County, KS 29 km (18 mi) NNE earthquakes near Comanche County
Harper County, OK 29 km (18 mi) SW earthquakes near Harper County
Clark County, KS 49 km (31 mi) NW earthquakes near Clark County
Woods County, OK 53 km (33 mi) ESE earthquakes near Woods County
Woodward County, OK 59 km (37 mi) S earthquakes near Woodward County
Kiowa County, KS 69 km (43 mi) N earthquakes near Kiowa County

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

Aftershocks so far

15 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. 1.6 10 km NNE of Freedom, 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. 1.8 9 km W of Buffalo, 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.