QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.0ml

Earthquake near Buffalo, OK

No earthquake was likely felt in Buffalo in the 24 hours to 4:00 pm CST (22:00 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 197 km (122 mi) SE, at 5:53 am CST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 23 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Buffalo

This page: a magnitude 3.0 earthquake was recorded 8 km (5 mi) west of Buffalo, OK, at 12:52 pm CDT on 13 October 2017 (17:52 UTC), 4.0 km deep. 3 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 7 km W of Buffalo, Oklahoma

12:52 pm CDT, Oct 13, 2017 · · 4.0 km deep · released about 950 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Harper County 7 kmClark County 44 kmComanche County 56 kmWoodward County 61 kmBeaver County 69 kmEllis County 69 kmMeade County 72 kmWoods County 77 kmLipscomb 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
12:52 pm CDT on 13 October 2017 ()
Where
8 km (5 mi) west of Buffalo, OK · earthquakes near Buffalo
Oklahoma today
every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 3.0 (ml)
Depth
4.0 km below the surface
Felt
3 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Harper County, 7 km SE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3229 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 73 km (45 mi) from the epicentre. In Buffalo, 8 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: Buffalo 8 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 950 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 350,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 16,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 11,000× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.0 about 950 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

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

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 36.8430, -99.7192. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Harper County, OK 7 km (4 mi) SE earthquakes near Harper County
Clark County, KS 44 km (28 mi) N earthquakes near Clark County
Comanche County, KS 56 km (35 mi) NE earthquakes near Comanche County
Woodward County, OK 61 km (38 mi) SE earthquakes near Woodward County
Beaver County, OK 69 km (43 mi) W earthquakes near Beaver County
Ellis County, OK 69 km (43 mi) S earthquakes near Ellis County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 15 km ENE of Fort Supply, Oklahoma
  2. 1.8 11 km NNE of May, Oklahoma
  3. 1.7 9 km NNE of May, Oklahoma
  4. 1.8 10 km NNE of May, Oklahoma
  5. 1.6 15 km SW of Freedom, Oklahoma
  6. 1.9 23 km WSW of Freedom, Oklahoma
  7. 1.6 17 km ESE of Buffalo, Oklahoma
  8. 2.2 26 km NE of Buffalo, Oklahoma
  9. 1.7 12 km N of Rosston, Oklahoma
  10. 2.3 11 km NNE of Rosston, Oklahoma
  11. 1.9 12 km N of Rosston, Oklahoma
  12. 2.2 11 km NNE of Rosston, Oklahoma
  13. 2.5 10 km NNE of Rosston, Oklahoma
  14. 2.5 11 km NNE of Rosston, Oklahoma
  15. 2.3 13 km NNE of Rosston, 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.