QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.7ml

Earthquake near Stillwater, OK

No earthquake was likely felt in Stillwater in the 24 hours to 10:46 am CST (16:46 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 3.7 earthquake was recorded 24 km (15 mi) north-northeast of Stillwater, OK, at 12:31 pm CDT on 9 September 2016 (17:31 UTC), 6.8 km deep. 12 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 4 km ENE of Morrison, Oklahoma

23 km (14 mi) NNE of Stillwater, OK · 106 km (66 mi) NNE of Oklahoma City, OK

12:31 pm CDT, Sep 9, 2016 · · 6.8 km deep · released about 5.4 tons of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Pawnee County 24 kmNoble County 25 kmPayne County 26 kmKay County 58 kmOsage County 61 kmLogan County 62 kmLincoln County 69 kmCreek County 70 kmGarfield County 74 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
12:31 pm CDT on 9 September 2016 ()
Where
24 km (15 mi) north-northeast of Stillwater, OK · earthquakes near Stillwater
Oklahoma today
every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 3.7 (ml)
Depth
6.8 km below the surface
Felt
12 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Measured shaking
intensity IV (ShakeMap)
Nearest
Pawnee County, 24 km E
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3627 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 370 km (230 mi) from the epicentre. In Stillwater, 24 km away, the estimate is intensity IV (light). 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 15 km, intensity IV · Stillwater 24 km, intensity IV · Perry 29 km, intensity III · Yale 33 km, intensity III · Perkins 39 km, intensity III · Cushing 41 km, intensity III · Ponca City 45 km, intensity III · Langston 49 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 5.4 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 32,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,400× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,000× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.7 about 5.4 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 11× more

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 1,400 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 36.3163, -96.9678. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Pawnee County, OK 24 km (15 mi) E earthquakes near Pawnee County
Noble County, OK 25 km (16 mi) WNW earthquakes near Noble County
Payne County, OK 26 km (16 mi) S earthquakes near Payne County
Kay County, OK 58 km (36 mi) NNW earthquakes near Kay County
Osage County, OK 61 km (38 mi) NE earthquakes near Osage County
Logan County, OK 62 km (39 mi) SW earthquakes near Logan 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. 1.6 14 km NW of Pawnee, Oklahoma
  2. 1.8 14 km NW of Pawnee, Oklahoma
  3. 1.9 14 km NW of Pawnee, Oklahoma
  4. 1.5 10 km NW of Pawnee, Oklahoma
  5. 1.7 14 km NW of Pawnee, Oklahoma
  6. 1.7 10 km NW of Pawnee, Oklahoma
  7. 1.8 13 km NW of Pawnee, Oklahoma
  8. 1.8 13 km NNW of Pawnee, Oklahoma
  9. 2.0 10 km NW of Pawnee, Oklahoma
  10. 2.1 12 km NW of Pawnee, Oklahoma
  11. 2.2 13 km NNW of Pawnee, Oklahoma
  12. 2.5 13 km NW of Pawnee, Oklahoma
  13. 2.7 10 km NW of Pawnee, Oklahoma
  14. 1.5 14 km NW of Pawnee, Oklahoma
  15. 2.0 15 km NW 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.