QuakeIndex

quarry blast · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8ml

Earthquake near Atoka, OK

No earthquake was likely felt in Atoka in the 24 hours to 11:13 pm CST (05:13 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 221 km (137 mi) NW, at 5:53 am CST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 23 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Atoka

No: USGS classifies this as a quarry blast, not an earthquake. A magnitude 1.8 quarry blast was recorded 15 km (9 mi) north-northeast of Atoka, OK, at 12:28 pm CDT on 1 September 2023 (17:28 UTC), less than 1 km deep.

USGS: 3 km NNE of Stringtown, Oklahoma

12:28 pm CDT, Sep 1, 2023 · · 0.0 km deep · released about 14 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Atoka County 12 kmCoal County 25 kmPittsburg County 54 kmPushmataha County 59 kmJohnston County 60 kmBryan County 63 kmHughes County 65 kmPontotoc County 65 kmChoctaw County 69 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
12:28 pm CDT on 1 September 2023 ()
Where
15 km (9 mi) north-northeast of Atoka, OK · earthquakes near Atoka
Oklahoma today
every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.8 (ml)
Depth
0.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Atoka County, 12 km S
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1168 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 16 km (10 mi) from the epicentre. In Atoka, 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Coalgate.

USGS catalogues this as quarry blast, not an earthquake.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 14 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 1,100,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 790,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 70× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 14 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 34.4973, -96.0380. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Atoka County, OK 12 km (7 mi) S earthquakes near Atoka County
Coal County, OK 25 km (15 mi) WNW earthquakes near Coal County
Pittsburg County, OK 54 km (34 mi) NNE earthquakes near Pittsburg County
Pushmataha County, OK 59 km (37 mi) ESE earthquakes near Pushmataha County
Johnston County, OK 60 km (37 mi) WSW earthquakes near Johnston County
Bryan County, OK 63 km (39 mi) SSW earthquakes near Bryan County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 4 km ENE of Wardville, Oklahoma
  2. 1.7 5 km NE of Wardville, Oklahoma
  3. 1.7 3 km NE of Wardville, Oklahoma
  4. 1.7 4 km ENE of Wardville, Oklahoma
  5. 2.4 4 km ENE of Wardville, Oklahoma
  6. 1.5 4 km NE of Wardville, Oklahoma
  7. 2.5 4 km ENE of Wardville, Oklahoma
  8. 2.9 4 km ENE of Wardville, Oklahoma
  9. 2.0 5 km ENE of Wardville, Oklahoma
  10. 2.1 5 km ENE of Wardville, Oklahoma
  11. 2.7 4 km ENE of Wardville, Oklahoma
  12. 1.8 4 km NE of Wardville, Oklahoma
  13. 1.5 4 km ENE of Wardville, Oklahoma
  14. 1.6 2 km SE of Stonewall, Oklahoma
  15. 1.5 9 km SSE of Wapanucka, 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.