QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1ml

Earthquake near Okarche, OK

No earthquake was likely felt in Okarche in the 24 hours to 2:26 pm CST (20:26 UTC). The last one was M 1.9, 14 km (9 mi) SSW, at 8:54 pm CST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Okarche

This page: a magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) west-northwest of Okarche, OK, at 11:38 pm CDT on 15 May 2023 (04:38 UTC), 19 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 3 km WNW of Okarche, Oklahoma

54 km (33 mi) NW of Oklahoma City, OK

11:38 pm CDT, May 15, 2023 · · 19 km deep · released about 44 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Canadian County 21 kmKingfisher County 25 kmBlaine County 41 kmLogan County 54 kmOklahoma County 58 kmCaddo County 71 kmGarfield County 74 kmMajor County 80 kmGrady County 80 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
11:38 pm CDT on 15 May 2023 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) west-northwest of Okarche, OK · earthquakes near Okarche
Oklahoma today
every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.1 (ml)
Depth
19 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Canadian County, 21 km S
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1207 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 21 km (13 mi) from the epicentre. In Okarche, 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.

Likely felt in: Okarche 3 km, intensity II · Kingfisher 16 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 44 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 340,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 240,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 22× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 44 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.2 on 2016-03-29 — about 1,400 times the energy of this one.

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 35.7352, -98.0093. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Canadian County, OK 21 km (13 mi) S earthquakes near Canadian County
Kingfisher County, OK 25 km (15 mi) NNE earthquakes near Kingfisher County
Blaine County, OK 41 km (25 mi) WNW earthquakes near Blaine County
Logan County, OK 54 km (34 mi) ENE earthquakes near Logan County
Oklahoma County, OK 58 km (36 mi) ESE earthquakes near Oklahoma County
Caddo County, OK 71 km (44 mi) SSW earthquakes near Caddo County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 4 km N of Dover, Oklahoma
  2. 1.6 8 km ESE of Hinton, Oklahoma
  3. 1.6 10 km ESE of Hinton, Oklahoma
  4. 1.5 9 km ESE of Hinton, Oklahoma
  5. 1.6 4 km NNW of Dover, Oklahoma
  6. 2.0 4 km N of Dover, Oklahoma
  7. 1.8 5 km N of Dover, Oklahoma
  8. 2.3 5 km N of Dover, Oklahoma
  9. 1.7 5 km N of Dover, Oklahoma
  10. 1.8 Oklahoma
  11. 1.9 Oklahoma
  12. 1.8 10 km W of Kingfisher, Oklahoma
  13. 1.7 10 km W of Kingfisher, Oklahoma
  14. 1.6 10 km W of Kingfisher, Oklahoma
  15. 1.7 11 km W of Kingfisher, 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.