QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.3ml

Earthquake near Cherokee, OK

No earthquake was likely felt in Cherokee in the 24 hours to 3:42 pm CST (21:42 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 130 km (81 mi) SSE, at 5:53 am CST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 23 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Cherokee

This page: a magnitude 3.3 earthquake was recorded 9 km (5 mi) east-northeast of Cherokee, OK, at 5:13 pm CDT on 24 April 2017 (22:13 UTC), 3.4 km deep. 5 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 8 km ENE of Cherokee, Oklahoma

56 km (35 mi) NW of Enid, OK · 129 km (80 mi) SW of Wichita, KS

5:13 pm CDT, Apr 24, 2017 · · 3.4 km deep · released about 1.3 tons of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Alfalfa County 8 kmGrant County 43 kmHarper County 48 kmWoods County 53 kmMajor County 58 kmBarber County 60 kmGarfield County 63 kmSumner County 85 kmKingman County 85 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
5:13 pm CDT on 24 April 2017 ()
Where
9 km (5 mi) east-northeast of Cherokee, OK · earthquakes near Cherokee
Oklahoma today
every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 3.3 (ml)
Depth
3.4 km below the surface
Felt
5 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Alfalfa County, 8 km SW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3401 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 234 km (145 mi) from the epicentre. In Cherokee, 9 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: Cherokee 9 km, intensity IV · Helena 27 km, intensity III · Alva 35 km, intensity III · Anthony 46 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1.3 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 130,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 5,600× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 4,000× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.3 about 1.3 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 2.8× 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 4.0 on 2016-11-25 — about 11 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 36.7908, -98.2712. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Alfalfa County, OK 8 km (5 mi) SW earthquakes near Alfalfa County
Grant County, OK 43 km (27 mi) E earthquakes near Grant County
Harper County, KS 48 km (30 mi) NNE earthquakes near Harper County
Woods County, OK 53 km (33 mi) W earthquakes near Woods County
Major County, OK 58 km (36 mi) SSW earthquakes near Major County
Barber County, KS 60 km (38 mi) NW earthquakes near Barber County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.3 9 km W of Bluff City, Kansas
  2. 2.6 10 km NE of Nash, Oklahoma
  3. 1.9 9 km W of Bluff City, Kansas
  4. 2.7 1 km NNW of Lambert, Oklahoma
  5. 3.7 1 km NNW of Lambert, Oklahoma
  6. 3.2 1 km NNW of Lambert, Oklahoma
  7. 1.7 9 km W of Bluff City, Kansas
  8. 3.0 10 km SSE of Waldron, Kansas
  9. 3.3 10 km SSE of Waldron, Kansas
  10. 1.8 9 km W of Bluff City, Kansas
  11. 3.0 10 km SSE of Waldron, Kansas
  12. 2.4 8 km S of Goltry, Oklahoma
  13. 2.5 4 km NNE of Avard, Oklahoma
  14. 1.6 9 km W of Bluff City, Kansas
  15. 2.5 3 km NE of Avard, 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.