QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near McAlester, OK

No earthquake was likely felt in McAlester in the 24 hours to 3:55 pm CST (21:55 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 220 km (136 mi) WNW, at 5:53 am CST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 23 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near McAlester

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 47 km (29 mi) south-southeast of McAlester, OK, at 9:13 pm CST on 9 January 2026 (03:13 UTC), 17 km deep.

USGS: 27 km SE of Pittsburg, Oklahoma

9:13 pm CST, Jan 9, 2026 · · 17 km deep · released about 6.8 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Pushmataha County 28 kmAtoka County 37 kmPittsburg County 45 kmLatimer County 53 kmChoctaw County 56 kmCoal County 58 kmHughes County 80 kmBryan County 83 kmHaskell County 94 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
9:13 pm CST on 9 January 2026 ()
Where
47 km (29 mi) south-southeast of McAlester, OK · earthquakes near McAlester
Oklahoma today
every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
17 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Pushmataha County, 28 km SE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 303 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In McAlester, 47 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 6.8 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 2,200,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,600,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 140× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 6.8 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 34.5227, -95.6615. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Pushmataha County, OK 28 km (18 mi) SE earthquakes near Pushmataha County
Atoka County, OK 37 km (23 mi) WSW earthquakes near Atoka County
Pittsburg County, OK 45 km (28 mi) N earthquakes near Pittsburg County
Latimer County, OK 53 km (33 mi) NE earthquakes near Latimer County
Choctaw County, OK 56 km (35 mi) S earthquakes near Choctaw County
Coal County, OK 58 km (36 mi) W earthquakes near Coal County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

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