QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Newcastle, OK

No earthquake was likely felt in Newcastle in the 24 hours to 4:18 am CST (10:18 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 57 km (35 mi) NW, at 5:53 am CST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 23 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Newcastle

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) south-southeast of Newcastle, OK, at 11:52 pm CDT on 4 April 2023 (04:52 UTC), 4.5 km deep.

USGS: 2 km SSE of Newcastle, Oklahoma

28 km (17 mi) SSW of Oklahoma City, OK · 15 km (10 mi) SW of Moore, OK

11:52 pm CDT, Apr 4, 2023 · · 4.5 km deep · released about 7.3 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Cleveland County 24 kmMcClain County 27 kmGrady County 35 kmOklahoma County 40 kmCanadian County 50 kmPottawatomie County 57 kmGarvin County 63 kmCaddo County 72 kmLogan County 77 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
11:52 pm CDT on 4 April 2023 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) south-southeast of Newcastle, OK · earthquakes near Newcastle
Oklahoma today
every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
4.5 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Cleveland County, 24 km E
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1317 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 5 km (3 mi) from the epicentre. In Newcastle, 3 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: Blanchard, Norman, Goldsby, Moore, Hall Park, Noble.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 7.3 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,100,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,500,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 130× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 7.3 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 35.2265, -97.5890. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Cleveland County, OK 24 km (15 mi) E earthquakes near Cleveland County
McClain County, OK 27 km (17 mi) SSE earthquakes near McClain County
Grady County, OK 35 km (22 mi) SW earthquakes near Grady County
Oklahoma County, OK 40 km (25 mi) NNE earthquakes near Oklahoma County
Canadian County, OK 50 km (31 mi) NW earthquakes near Canadian County
Pottawatomie County, OK 57 km (36 mi) E earthquakes near Pottawatomie 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. 1.6 8 km SW of El Reno, Oklahoma
  2. 1.9 9 km SW of El Reno, Oklahoma
  3. 2.1 Oklahoma
  4. 2.8 12 km WSW of Union City, Oklahoma
  5. 1.6 13 km WSW of Union City, Oklahoma
  6. 1.8 Oklahoma
  7. 2.1 13 km WSW of Union City, Oklahoma
  8. 1.9 15 km WNW of Minco, Oklahoma
  9. 1.6 13 km WSW of Union City, Oklahoma
  10. 1.5 13 km WSW of Union City, Oklahoma
  11. 1.8 Oklahoma
  12. 2.1 13 km WSW of Union City, Oklahoma
  13. 2.0 13 km WSW of Union City, Oklahoma
  14. 1.7 13 km WSW of Union City, Oklahoma
  15. 1.7 12 km WSW of Union City, 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.