QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.8ml

Earthquake near Stillwater, OK

No earthquake was likely felt in Stillwater in the 24 hours to 9:25 am CST (15:25 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 2.8 earthquake was recorded 20 km (13 mi) west-northwest of Stillwater, OK, at 9:12 pm CST on 29 December 2016 (03:12 UTC), 8.1 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 9 km ENE of Orlando, Oklahoma

81 km (50 mi) NNE of Oklahoma City, OK · 18 km (11 mi) WNW of Stillwater, OK

9:12 pm CST, Dec 29, 2016 · · 8.1 km deep · released about 480 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Noble County 24 kmPayne County 29 kmLogan County 33 kmGarfield County 52 kmPawnee County 54 kmLincoln County 63 kmKingfisher County 64 kmOklahoma County 70 kmKay County 72 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
9:12 pm CST on 29 December 2016 ()
Where
20 km (13 mi) west-northwest of Stillwater, OK · earthquakes near Stillwater
Oklahoma today
every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.8 (ml)
Depth
8.1 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Noble County, 24 km N
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3520 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 61 km (38 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: Perry 13 km, intensity III · Stillwater 20 km, intensity III · Langston 25 km, intensity III · Perkins 31 km, intensity III · Guthrie 35 km, intensity II · Crescent 38 km, intensity II · Pawnee 46 km, intensity II · Cushing 50 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 480 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 32,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 22,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 2× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.8 about 480 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 32,000 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 36.1714, -97.2733. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Noble County, OK 24 km (15 mi) N earthquakes near Noble County
Payne County, OK 29 km (18 mi) ESE earthquakes near Payne County
Logan County, OK 33 km (20 mi) SSW earthquakes near Logan County
Garfield County, OK 52 km (32 mi) WNW earthquakes near Garfield County
Pawnee County, OK 54 km (34 mi) ENE earthquakes near Pawnee County
Lincoln County, OK 63 km (39 mi) SE earthquakes near Lincoln 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 4 km SE of Covington, Oklahoma
  2. 2.7 Oklahoma
  3. 2.8 12 km SSE of Glencoe, Oklahoma
  4. 3.3 12 km SSE of Glencoe, Oklahoma
  5. 2.5 12 km NNE of Ripley, Oklahoma
  6. 2.7 6 km WNW of Meridian, Oklahoma
  7. 2.6 Oklahoma
  8. 2.7 3 km WNW of Cushing, Oklahoma
  9. 2.7 1 km WSW of Fallis, Oklahoma
  10. 2.7 1 km SW of Langston, Oklahoma
  11. 2.5 10 km SE of Marshall, Oklahoma
  12. 2.5 8 km NE of Marshall, Oklahoma
  13. 2.7 8 km NE of Marshall, Oklahoma
  14. 2.8 14 km NW of Pawnee, Oklahoma
  15. 1.8 4 km E of Stillwater, 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.