QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.9ml

Earthquake near Ponca City, OK

No earthquake was likely felt in Ponca City in the 24 hours to 9:27 am CST (15:27 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 149 km (93 mi) SW, at 5:53 am CST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 23 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Ponca City

This page: a magnitude 2.9 earthquake was recorded 48 km (30 mi) west-northwest of Ponca City, OK, at 9:22 pm CST on 26 December 2017 (03:22 UTC), 5.8 km deep. 3 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 8 km W of Deer Creek, Oklahoma

100 km (62 mi) SSW of Wichita, KS · 51 km (32 mi) NNE of Enid, OK

9:22 pm CST, Dec 26, 2017 · · 5.8 km deep · released about 680 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Ponca City Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Grant County 16 kmKay County 41 kmSumner County 48 kmGarfield County 51 kmHarper County 58 kmNoble County 59 kmAlfalfa County 64 kmCowley County 83 kmKingman County 94 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
9:22 pm CST on 26 December 2017 ()
Where
48 km (30 mi) west-northwest of Ponca City, OK · earthquakes near Ponca City
Oklahoma today
every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.9 (ml)
Depth
5.8 km below the surface
Felt
3 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Grant County, 16 km WSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3162 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 Ponca City, 48 km away, the estimate is intensity II (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: Caldwell 24 km, intensity III · Blackwell 29 km, intensity III · Ponca City 48 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 4.3 on 2017-09-08 — about 130 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 36.8184, -97.6097. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Grant County, OK 16 km (10 mi) WSW earthquakes near Grant County
Kay County, OK 41 km (26 mi) E earthquakes near Kay County
Sumner County, KS 48 km (30 mi) NNE earthquakes near Sumner County
Garfield County, OK 51 km (32 mi) SSW earthquakes near Garfield County
Harper County, KS 58 km (36 mi) NW earthquakes near Harper County
Noble County, OK 59 km (36 mi) SE earthquakes near Noble County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.1 0 km NNW of Bluff City, Kansas
  2. 1.9 6 km SE of Freeport, Kansas
  3. 1.6 4 km WNW of South Haven, Kansas
  4. 2.1 0 km NNW of Bluff City, Kansas
  5. 3.0 5 km S of Deer Creek, Oklahoma
  6. 2.6 7 km N of Nardin, Oklahoma
  7. 2.0 9 km W of Medford, Oklahoma
  8. 2.6 1 km SSE of Renfrow, Oklahoma
  9. 3.6 1 km SSE of Renfrow, Oklahoma
  10. 2.0 5 km SSE of Bluff City, Kansas
  11. 1.8 3 km E of Freeport, Kansas
  12. 2.6 10 km ESE of Jefferson, Oklahoma
  13. 1.6 6 km SE of Anthony, Kansas
  14. 2.7 11 km SW of Wakita, Oklahoma
  15. 2.5 8 km W of Deer Creek, 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.