QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8ml

Earthquake near Buffalo, OK

No earthquake was likely felt in Buffalo in the 24 hours to 1:47 pm CST (19:47 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 1.8 earthquake was recorded 15 km (9 mi) southeast of Buffalo, OK, at 3:17 am CST on 5 February 2023 (09:17 UTC), 7.0 km deep.

USGS: 14 km SE of Buffalo, Oklahoma

3:17 am CST, Feb 5, 2023 · · 7.0 km deep · released about 15 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Harper County 15 kmWoodward County 41 kmComanche County 55 kmWoods County 58 kmEllis County 61 kmClark County 61 kmLipscomb County 85 kmBeaver County 86 kmBarber County 91 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
3:17 am CST on 5 February 2023 ()
Where
15 km (9 mi) southeast of Buffalo, OK · earthquakes near Buffalo
Oklahoma today
every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.8 (ml)
Depth
7.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Harper County, 15 km WNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1374 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 15 km (9 mi) from the epicentre. In Buffalo, 15 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.

Likely felt in: Buffalo 15 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 15 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,000,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 710,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 63× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 15 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 36.7385, -99.5143. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Harper County, OK 15 km (9 mi) WNW earthquakes near Harper County
Woodward County, OK 41 km (25 mi) SSE earthquakes near Woodward County
Comanche County, KS 55 km (34 mi) NNE earthquakes near Comanche County
Woods County, OK 58 km (36 mi) E earthquakes near Woods County
Ellis County, OK 61 km (38 mi) SSW earthquakes near Ellis County
Clark County, KS 61 km (38 mi) NNW earthquakes near Clark County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 14 km SSE of Freedom, Oklahoma
  2. 1.8 15 km S of Freedom, Oklahoma
  3. 2.0 11 km NE of May, Oklahoma
  4. 1.6 10 km NE of May, Oklahoma
  5. 2.0 18 km SW of May, Oklahoma
  6. 1.6 10 km NNE of Freedom, Oklahoma
  7. 1.6 20 km NNW of Mooreland, Oklahoma
  8. 1.5 23 km NE of Fort Supply, Oklahoma
  9. 1.9 23 km NE of Fort Supply, Oklahoma
  10. 1.8 22 km WSW of Freedom, Oklahoma
  11. 1.8 23 km NE of Fort Supply, Oklahoma
  12. 1.5 18 km ENE of Fort Supply, Oklahoma
  13. 1.6 5 km NW of Fort Supply, Oklahoma
  14. 1.6 14 km NE of Fort Supply, 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.