QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.8ml

Earthquake near Norman, OK

No earthquake was likely felt in Norman in the 24 hours to 6:57 pm CST (00:57 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 70 km (43 mi) NW, at 5:53 am CST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 23 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Norman

This page: a magnitude 2.8 earthquake was recorded 27 km (17 mi) southwest of Norman, OK, at 9:20 pm CST on 17 November 2018 (03:20 UTC), 9.2 km deep. 6 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 1 km SE of Dibble, Oklahoma

50 km (31 mi) SSW of Oklahoma City, OK · 35 km (22 mi) SW of Norman, OK

9:20 pm CST, Nov 17, 2018 · · 9.2 km deep · released about 480 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N McClain County 16 kmGrady County 24 kmCleveland County 34 kmGarvin County 45 kmOklahoma County 62 kmPottawatomie County 64 kmStephens County 64 kmCanadian County 66 kmCaddo County 71 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
9:20 pm CST on 17 November 2018 ()
Where
27 km (17 mi) southwest of Norman, OK · earthquakes near Norman
Oklahoma today
every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.8 (ml)
Depth
9.2 km below the surface
Felt
6 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
McClain County, 16 km E
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2842 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 61 km (38 mi) from the epicentre. In Norman, 27 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: Blanchard 13 km, intensity III · Lindsay 21 km, intensity III · Norman 27 km, intensity III · Chickasha 29 km, intensity III · Tuttle 34 km, intensity II · Moore 37 km, intensity II · Mustang 41 km, intensity II · Minco 43 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 35.0255, -97.6213. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
McClain County, OK 16 km (10 mi) E earthquakes near McClain County
Grady County, OK 24 km (15 mi) W earthquakes near Grady County
Cleveland County, OK 34 km (21 mi) NE earthquakes near Cleveland County
Garvin County, OK 45 km (28 mi) SE earthquakes near Garvin County
Oklahoma County, OK 62 km (38 mi) NNE earthquakes near Oklahoma County
Pottawatomie County, OK 64 km (40 mi) ENE earthquakes near Pottawatomie County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 10 km WNW of Dibble, Oklahoma
  2. 1.9 1 km W of Tuttle, Oklahoma
  3. 1.7 3 km NNW of Bridge Creek, Oklahoma
  4. 2.0 5 km NE of Tuttle, Oklahoma
  5. 2.1 3 km NW of Bridge Creek, Oklahoma
  6. 2.2 6 km ENE of Union City, Oklahoma
  7. 2.0 3 km ENE of Union City, Oklahoma
  8. 2.4 6 km ESE of Erin Springs, Oklahoma
  9. 2.2 1 km ENE of Union City, Oklahoma
  10. 2.5 5 km SSE of Erin Springs, Oklahoma
  11. 2.8 6 km SE of Erin Springs, Oklahoma
  12. 1.8 5 km N of Bridge Creek, Oklahoma
  13. 2.5 2 km ESE of Minco, Oklahoma
  14. 2.7 0 km SE of Cole, Oklahoma
  15. 2.3 1 km WNW of Cole, 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.