QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.9ml

Earthquake near Oklahoma City, OK

No earthquake was likely felt in Oklahoma City in the 24 hours to 7:38 am CST (13:38 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 50 km (31 mi) WNW, at 5:53 am CST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 23 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Oklahoma City

This page: a magnitude 2.9 earthquake was recorded 43 km (27 mi) east-northeast of Oklahoma City, OK, at 5:48 pm CDT on 4 July 2016 (22:48 UTC), 5.6 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 9 km S of Wellston, Oklahoma

43 km (27 mi) ENE of Oklahoma City, OK · 32 km (20 mi) ESE of Edmond, OK

5:48 pm CDT, Jul 4, 2016 · · 5.6 km deep · released about 680 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Lincoln County 20 kmOklahoma County 31 kmPottawatomie County 46 kmLogan County 48 kmCleveland County 50 kmPayne County 53 kmSeminole County 66 kmOkfuskee County 69 kmCreek County 71 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
5:48 pm CDT on 4 July 2016 ()
Where
43 km (27 mi) east-northeast of Oklahoma City, OK · earthquakes near Oklahoma City
Oklahoma today
every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.9 (ml)
Depth
5.6 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Lincoln County, 20 km ENE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1561 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 67 km (42 mi) from the epicentre. In Oklahoma City, 43 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: Luther 12 km, intensity III · Chandler 20 km, intensity III · Choctaw 22 km, intensity III · Shawnee 34 km, intensity III · Midwest City 34 km, intensity III · Edmond 37 km, intensity II · Prague 38 km, intensity II · Stroud 40 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 680 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 22,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 16,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.9 about 680 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 2016-04-07 — about 89 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.7 8 km NW of Prague, Oklahoma · 29 km ESE of this epicentre

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 35.6108, -97.0730. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Lincoln County, OK 20 km (13 mi) ENE earthquakes near Lincoln County
Oklahoma County, OK 31 km (19 mi) WSW earthquakes near Oklahoma County
Pottawatomie County, OK 46 km (28 mi) SSE earthquakes near Pottawatomie County
Logan County, OK 48 km (30 mi) NW earthquakes near Logan County
Cleveland County, OK 50 km (31 mi) SSW earthquakes near Cleveland County
Payne County, OK 53 km (33 mi) N earthquakes near Payne County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 3.4 4 km E of Luther, Oklahoma
  2. 3.1 3 km NE of Coyle, Oklahoma
  3. 1.5 3 km SE of Carney, Oklahoma
  4. 2.2 1 km SSW of Wellston, Oklahoma
  5. 2.6 1 km ESE of Choctaw, Oklahoma
  6. 2.7 3 km SW of Wellston, Oklahoma
  7. 2.8 3 km SW of Wellston, Oklahoma
  8. 2.5 3 km SW of Wellston, Oklahoma
  9. 2.4 2 km SSW of Wellston, Oklahoma
  10. 2.6 2 km SSW of Wellston, Oklahoma
  11. 2.8 3 km SW of Wellston, Oklahoma
  12. 4.0 2 km SW of Wellston, Oklahoma
  13. 3.3 3 km E of Luther, Oklahoma
  14. 2.5 6 km NE of Harrah, Oklahoma
  15. 3.5 1 km E of Luther, 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.