QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.9ml

Earthquake near Stillwater, OK

No earthquake was likely felt in Stillwater in the 24 hours to 8:41 am CST (14:41 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 2.9 earthquake was recorded 20 km (12 mi) east-northeast of Stillwater, OK, at 6:52 am CDT on 5 November 2016 (11:52 UTC), 5.0 km deep. 4 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 8 km SE of Glencoe, Oklahoma

99 km (62 mi) NE of Oklahoma City, OK · 21 km (13 mi) ENE of Stillwater, OK

6:52 am CDT, Nov 5, 2016 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 680 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Payne County 16 kmPawnee County 20 kmNoble County 41 kmCreek County 52 kmLincoln County 53 kmLogan County 61 kmOsage County 63 kmKay County 75 kmTulsa County 82 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
6:52 am CDT on 5 November 2016 ()
Where
20 km (12 mi) east-northeast of Stillwater, OK · earthquakes near Stillwater
Oklahoma today
every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.9 (ml)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
4 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Payne County, 16 km SW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3570 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 Stillwater, 20 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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: Yale 16 km, intensity III · Pawnee 18 km, intensity III · Stillwater 20 km, intensity III · Cushing 23 km, intensity III · Perkins 28 km, intensity III · Perry 41 km, intensity II · Langston 45 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 5.8 on 2016-09-03 — about 22,000 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 36.1799, -96.8537. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Payne County, OK 16 km (10 mi) SW earthquakes near Payne County
Pawnee County, OK 20 km (13 mi) NE earthquakes near Pawnee County
Noble County, OK 41 km (26 mi) WNW earthquakes near Noble County
Creek County, OK 52 km (32 mi) SE earthquakes near Creek County
Lincoln County, OK 53 km (33 mi) S earthquakes near Lincoln County
Logan County, OK 61 km (38 mi) WSW earthquakes near Logan County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 3.0 7 km N of Maramec, Oklahoma
  2. 3.3 12 km NNW of Perry, Oklahoma
  3. 2.5 15 km NNE of Morrison, Oklahoma
  4. 3.1 2 km WNW of Skedee, Oklahoma
  5. 2.3 3 km NNE of Cushing, Oklahoma
  6. 2.9 2 km NNW of Cushing, Oklahoma
  7. 2.6 5 km WSW of Glencoe, Oklahoma
  8. 2.6 5 km NNW of Maramec, Oklahoma
  9. 3.2 0 km NNW of Yale, Oklahoma
  10. 2.8 7 km NNE of Maramec, Oklahoma
  11. 2.5 7 km NNE of Maramec, Oklahoma
  12. 3.2 4 km NNE of Cushing, Oklahoma
  13. 2.8 7 km NNE of Maramec, Oklahoma
  14. 3.8 7 km NNE of Maramec, Oklahoma
  15. 2.9 5 km S of Morrison, 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.