QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.8ml

Earthquake near Stillwater, OK

No earthquake was likely felt in Stillwater in the 24 hours to 8:38 am CST (14:38 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 105 km (65 mi) WSW, at 5:53 am CST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 23 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Stillwater

This page: a magnitude 2.8 earthquake was recorded 42 km (26 mi) east-northeast of Stillwater, OK, at 6:46 pm CST on 7 January 2016 (00:46 UTC), 5.7 km deep. 7 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 7 km NNE of Maramec, Oklahoma

70 km (44 mi) WNW of Tulsa, OK · 42 km (26 mi) ENE of Stillwater, OK

6:46 pm CST, Jan 7, 2016 · · 5.7 km deep · released about 480 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Pawnee County 4 kmPayne County 38 kmOsage County 42 kmCreek County 51 kmNoble County 53 kmTulsa County 67 kmLincoln County 70 kmKay County 72 kmWashington 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
6:46 pm CST on 7 January 2016 ()
Where
42 km (26 mi) east-northeast of Stillwater, OK · earthquakes near Stillwater
Oklahoma today
every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.8 (ml)
Depth
5.7 km below the surface
Felt
7 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Pawnee County, 4 km WNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3879 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 62 km (39 mi) from the epicentre. In Stillwater, 42 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: Pawnee 14 km, intensity III · Yale 22 km, intensity III · Cushing 37 km, intensity II · Stillwater 42 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 480 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 32,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 22,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 2× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.8 about 480 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 36.3044, -96.6543. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Pawnee County, OK 4 km (2 mi) WNW earthquakes near Pawnee County
Payne County, OK 38 km (24 mi) SW earthquakes near Payne County
Osage County, OK 42 km (26 mi) NNE earthquakes near Osage County
Creek County, OK 51 km (31 mi) SSE earthquakes near Creek County
Noble County, OK 53 km (33 mi) W earthquakes near Noble County
Tulsa County, OK 67 km (42 mi) ESE earthquakes near Tulsa County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.9 4 km SSW of Pawnee, Oklahoma
  2. 2.4 6 km SW of Glencoe, Oklahoma
  3. 3.2 3 km W of Cushing, Oklahoma
  4. 2.9 17 km ESE of Marland, Oklahoma
  5. 2.7 8 km NNW of Morrison, Oklahoma
  6. 2.8 6 km SSE of Cushing, Oklahoma
  7. 2.7 10 km SSE of Cushing, Oklahoma
  8. 3.0 4 km NNE of Morrison, Oklahoma
  9. 2.5 7 km WSW of Quay, Oklahoma
  10. 2.6 Oklahoma
  11. 2.7 5 km WNW of Maramec, Oklahoma
  12. 2.7 6 km SW of Glencoe, Oklahoma
  13. 2.9 5 km NNE of Stillwater, Oklahoma
  14. 2.7 4 km NE of Maramec, Oklahoma
  15. 2.3 6 km WNW of Maramec, 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.