QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.7ml

Earthquake near Buffalo, OK

USGS: 7 km W of Buffalo, Oklahoma

3:52 am CDT, Jul 9, 2016 · · 2.2 km deep · released about 340 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Harper County 7 kmClark County 45 kmComanche County 56 kmWoodward County 61 kmEllis County 68 kmBeaver County 69 kmMeade County 73 kmWoods County 77 kmLipscomb County 79 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
3:52 am CDT on 9 July 2016 ()
Where
8 km (5 mi) W of Buffalo, OK · earthquakes near Buffalo
Magnitude
M 2.7 (ml)
Depth
2.2 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Harper County, 7 km SE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3677 days ago

A magnitude 2.7 earthquake was recorded 8 km (5 mi) W of Buffalo, OK, at 3:52 am CDT on 9 July 2016 (08:52 UTC). 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS. This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Laverne.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 340 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 45,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 32,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 2.8× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.7 about 340 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 36.8383, -99.7198. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Harper County, OK 7 km (4 mi) SE earthquakes near Harper County
Clark County, KS 45 km (28 mi) N earthquakes near Clark County
Comanche County, KS 56 km (35 mi) NE earthquakes near Comanche County
Woodward County, OK 61 km (38 mi) SE earthquakes near Woodward County
Ellis County, OK 68 km (42 mi) S earthquakes near Ellis County
Beaver County, OK 69 km (43 mi) W earthquakes near Beaver County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.8 12 km NNE of Rosston, Oklahoma
  2. 2.4 10 km NNE of Rosston, Oklahoma
  3. 2.0 19 km NE of Buffalo, Oklahoma
  4. 1.6 17 km ENE of Fort Supply, Oklahoma
  5. 2.5 8 km NW of Knowles, Oklahoma
  6. 2.0 25 km ENE of Buffalo, Oklahoma
  7. 2.2 11 km S of Buffalo, Oklahoma
  8. 2.0 11 km ESE of Fort Supply, Oklahoma
  9. 2.9 26 km ENE of Buffalo, Oklahoma
  10. 2.8 23 km NE of Fort Supply, Oklahoma
  11. 2.1 6 km WNW of Buffalo, Oklahoma
  12. 2.3 8 km W of Buffalo, Oklahoma
  13. 2.8 22 km NE of Fort Supply, Oklahoma
  14. 2.7 27 km SSE of Protection, Kansas
  15. 3.0 22 km NE of Fort Supply, 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.