QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0ml

Earthquake near Pawnee, OK

No earthquake was likely felt in Pawnee in the 24 hours to 10:09 am CST (16:09 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 138 km (86 mi) SW, at 5:53 am CST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 23 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Pawnee

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 13 km (8 mi) northwest of Pawnee, OK, at 10:02 am CDT on 6 September 2016 (15:02 UTC), 6.8 km deep. 6 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 13 km NW of Pawnee, Oklahoma

36 km (23 mi) NNE of Stillwater, OK · 120 km (75 mi) NNE of Oklahoma City, OK

10:02 am CDT, Sep 6, 2016 · · 6.8 km deep · released about 30 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Pawnee County 22 kmNoble County 30 kmPayne County 39 kmKay County 48 kmOsage County 49 kmCreek County 74 kmLogan County 75 kmGarfield County 80 kmLincoln 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
10:02 am CDT on 6 September 2016 ()
Where
13 km (8 mi) northwest of Pawnee, OK · earthquakes near Pawnee
Oklahoma today
every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.0 (ml)
Depth
6.8 km below the surface
Felt
6 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Pawnee County, 22 km SE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3631 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 23 km (14 mi) from the epicentre. In Pawnee, 13 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 13 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 30 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 500,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 350,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 32× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 30 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 5.8 on 2016-09-03 — about 500,000 times the energy of this one.

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 36.4258, -96.9006. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Pawnee County, OK 22 km (14 mi) SE earthquakes near Pawnee County
Noble County, OK 30 km (19 mi) W earthquakes near Noble County
Payne County, OK 39 km (24 mi) S earthquakes near Payne County
Kay County, OK 48 km (30 mi) NNW earthquakes near Kay County
Osage County, OK 49 km (31 mi) ENE earthquakes near Osage County
Creek County, OK 74 km (46 mi) SE earthquakes near Creek County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.6 6 km NNW of Cushing, Oklahoma
  2. 1.5 14 km NW of Pawnee, Oklahoma
  3. 1.8 14 km NNW of Pawnee, Oklahoma
  4. 2.0 11 km NW of Pawnee, Oklahoma
  5. 1.9 4 km ENE of Pawnee, Oklahoma
  6. 2.8 4 km ENE of Morrison, Oklahoma
  7. 3.0 14 km NW of Pawnee, Oklahoma
  8. 1.5 14 km NW of Pawnee, Oklahoma
  9. 1.5 9 km NNW of Pawnee, Oklahoma
  10. 2.6 8 km NNW of Pawnee, Oklahoma
  11. 1.6 10 km NW of Pawnee, Oklahoma
  12. 2.4 10 km NW of Pawnee, Oklahoma
  13. 3.0 8 km NNW of Pawnee, Oklahoma
  14. 2.3 10 km NW of Pawnee, Oklahoma
  15. 2.4 11 km WNW of Pawnee, 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.