Earthquake near Norman, OK

No earthquake was likely felt in Norman in the 24 hours to 3:38 pm CST (21:38 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 70 km (43 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 Norman

This page: a magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 16 km (10 mi) southwest of Norman, OK, at 5:14 pm CST on 4 December 2023 (23:14 UTC), 5.9 km deep. 3 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 2 km NNE of Cole, Oklahoma

39 km (24 mi) S of Oklahoma City, OK · 24 km (15 mi) SW of Norman, OK

5:14 pm CST, Dec 4, 2023 · 2023-12-04 23:14 UTC · 5.9 km deep · released about 15 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Norman Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area

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: 5:14 pm CST on 4 December 2023 (2023-12-04 23:14 UTC)
Where: 16 km (10 mi) southwest of Norman, OK · earthquakes near Norman
Oklahoma today: every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
Magnitude: M 1.8 (ml)
Depth: 5.9 km below the surface
Felt: 3 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest: McClain County, 15 km SE
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS 1005 days ago · we first saw it 1005 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 Norman, 16 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: Blanchard 9 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.

Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,000,000× the energy of this one
Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 710,000× the energy of this one
Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 63× the energy of this one
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

Map loads when it scrolls into view

Nearby places

Place	Distance	Direction from the epicentre
McClain County, OK	15 km (10 mi)	SE	earthquakes near McClain County
Cleveland County, OK	24 km (15 mi)	ENE	earthquakes near Cleveland County
Grady County, OK	32 km (20 mi)	WSW	earthquakes near Grady County
Oklahoma County, OK	50 km (31 mi)	NNE	earthquakes near Oklahoma County
Garvin County, OK	51 km (32 mi)	SSE	earthquakes near Garvin County
Pottawatomie County, OK	56 km (35 mi)	E	earthquakes near Pottawatomie County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

1.9 4 km SE of Cole, Oklahoma 08:11 UTC
1.9 3 km WNW of Washington, Oklahoma 21:15 UTC
1.8 4 km WNW of Washington, Oklahoma 21:11 UTC
1.7 3 km WNW of Washington, Oklahoma 20:12 UTC
2.2 4 km WNW of Washington, Oklahoma 10:46 UTC
1.7 2 km NW of Washington, Oklahoma 10:28 UTC
1.8 3 km WNW of Washington, Oklahoma 09:40 UTC
1.9 6 km WNW of Minco, Oklahoma 07:02 UTC
1.6 2 km WNW of Washington, Oklahoma 14:35 UTC
1.6 10 km N of Alex, Oklahoma 17:30 UTC
1.6 12 km N of Alex, Oklahoma 23:25 UTC
2.1 4 km SE of Cole, Oklahoma 22:07 UTC
1.6 4 km SE of Cole, Oklahoma 16:51 UTC
1.7 11 km WSW of Dibble, Oklahoma 14:12 UTC
1.7 4 km ESE of Cole, Oklahoma 10:01 UTC

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of 21:38 UTC. QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.

On USGS

The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.