QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.8ml

Earthquake near Woodward, OK

No earthquake was likely felt in Woodward in the 24 hours to 11:36 am CST (17:36 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 152 km (94 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 Woodward

This page: a magnitude 2.8 earthquake was recorded 32 km (20 mi) north of Woodward, OK, at 3:13 pm CDT on 17 March 2018 (20:13 UTC), 1.5 km deep.

USGS: 22 km NE of Fort Supply, Oklahoma

3:13 pm CDT, Mar 17, 2018 · · 1.5 km deep · released about 480 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Harper County 26 kmWoodward County 34 kmWoods County 47 kmComanche County 53 kmEllis County 64 kmClark County 69 kmBarber County 84 kmMajor County 88 kmDewey County 89 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
3:13 pm CDT on 17 March 2018 ()
Where
32 km (20 mi) north of Woodward, OK · earthquakes near Woodward
Oklahoma today
every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.8 (ml)
Depth
1.5 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Harper County, 26 km WNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3075 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 62 km (39 mi) from the epicentre. In Woodward, 32 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 25 km, intensity III · Woodward 32 km, intensity III · Mooreland 35 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

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 36.7179, -99.3877. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Harper County, OK 26 km (16 mi) WNW earthquakes near Harper County
Woodward County, OK 34 km (21 mi) SSE earthquakes near Woodward County
Woods County, OK 47 km (29 mi) E earthquakes near Woods County
Comanche County, KS 53 km (33 mi) NNE earthquakes near Comanche County
Ellis County, OK 64 km (40 mi) SSW earthquakes near Ellis County
Clark County, KS 69 km (43 mi) NNW earthquakes near Clark 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. 1.8 9 km SW of Waynoka, Oklahoma
  2. 1.7 9 km SW of Waynoka, Oklahoma
  3. 2.3 8 km SW of Waynoka, Oklahoma
  4. 2.1 9 km NE of Quinlan, Oklahoma
  5. 2.6 9 km NE of Quinlan, Oklahoma
  6. 1.9 9 km NE of Quinlan, Oklahoma
  7. 1.7 9 km SW of Waynoka, Oklahoma
  8. 1.9 10 km SW of Waynoka, Oklahoma
  9. 1.9 10 km NNW of Waynoka, Oklahoma
  10. 2.1 9 km NE of Quinlan, Oklahoma
  11. 1.9 9 km NE of Quinlan, Oklahoma
  12. 2.1 7 km SW of Avard, Oklahoma
  13. 2.4 7 km NNE of Quinlan, Oklahoma
  14. 2.3 9 km NE of Quinlan, Oklahoma
  15. 1.8 9 km NE of Quinlan, 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.