QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.6mb_lg

Earthquake near Spencer, OK

No earthquake was likely felt in Spencer in the 24 hours to 10:47 am CST (16:47 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 61 km (38 mi) W, at 5:53 am CST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 23 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Spencer

This page: a magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded 8 km (5 mi) north of Spencer, OK, at 5:44 pm CST on 17 November 2018 (23:44 UTC), 9.0 km deep. 34 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 7 km N of Spencer, Oklahoma

19 km (12 mi) NE of Oklahoma City, OK · 10 km (6 mi) SSE of Edmond, OK

5:44 pm CST, Nov 17, 2018 · · 9.0 km deep · released about 240 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Oklahoma County 5 kmLogan County 36 kmCleveland County 43 kmLincoln County 46 kmCanadian County 55 kmPottawatomie County 57 kmKingfisher County 64 kmMcClain County 64 kmPayne County 65 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
5:44 pm CST on 17 November 2018 ()
Where
8 km (5 mi) north of Spencer, OK · earthquakes near Spencer
Oklahoma today
every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.6 (mb_lg)
Depth
9.0 km below the surface
Felt
34 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Oklahoma County, 5 km SW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2428 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 50 km (31 mi) from the epicentre. In Spencer, 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: Edmond 12 km, intensity III · Choctaw 14 km, intensity III · Midwest City 16 km, intensity III · Luther 18 km, intensity III · Oklahoma City 19 km, intensity III · Bethany 25 km, intensity II · Moore 30 km, intensity II · Guthrie 32 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 240 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 63,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 45,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.6 about 240 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 4.2 on 2016-04-07 — about 250 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 35.5926, -97.3721. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Oklahoma County, OK 5 km (3 mi) SW earthquakes near Oklahoma County
Logan County, OK 36 km (23 mi) N earthquakes near Logan County
Cleveland County, OK 43 km (27 mi) S earthquakes near Cleveland County
Lincoln County, OK 46 km (29 mi) ENE earthquakes near Lincoln County
Canadian County, OK 55 km (34 mi) W earthquakes near Canadian County
Pottawatomie County, OK 57 km (35 mi) SE earthquakes near Pottawatomie County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 7 km E of Guthrie, Oklahoma
  2. 2.0 5 km NE of Tuttle, Oklahoma
  3. 2.2 6 km ENE of Union City, Oklahoma
  4. 2.9 Oklahoma
  5. 1.8 5 km N of Bridge Creek, Oklahoma
  6. 1.8 5 km W of Arcadia, Oklahoma
  7. 2.1 8 km ENE of Guthrie, Oklahoma
  8. 2.1 0 km NNW of Coyle, Oklahoma
  9. 3.0 12 km NW of Edmond, Oklahoma
  10. 2.1 7 km E of Carney, Oklahoma
  11. 1.6 6 km E of Carney, Oklahoma
  12. 2.7 1 km WNW of Coyle, Oklahoma
  13. 2.4 1 km WNW of Coyle, Oklahoma
  14. 2.5 11 km NW of Edmond, Oklahoma
  15. 1.9 2 km ENE of Fallis, 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.