QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.6ml

Earthquake near Oklahoma City, OK

No earthquake was likely felt in Oklahoma City in the 24 hours to 3:35 pm CST (21:35 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 50 km (31 mi) WNW, at 5:53 am CST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 23 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Oklahoma City

This page: a magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded 43 km (26 mi) northeast of Oklahoma City, OK, at 2:56 pm CST on 23 February 2016 (20:56 UTC), 5.8 km deep.

USGS: 4 km SW of Fallis, Oklahoma

42 km (26 mi) NE of Oklahoma City, OK · 23 km (14 mi) ENE of Edmond, OK

2:56 pm CST, Feb 23, 2016 · · 5.8 km deep · released about 240 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Lincoln County 25 kmOklahoma County 29 kmLogan County 34 kmPayne County 43 kmCleveland County 59 kmPottawatomie County 60 kmCreek County 74 kmKingfisher County 74 kmNoble County 74 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
2:56 pm CST on 23 February 2016 ()
Where
43 km (26 mi) northeast of Oklahoma City, OK · earthquakes near Oklahoma City
Oklahoma today
every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.6 (ml)
Depth
5.8 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Lincoln County, 25 km E
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3844 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 51 km (32 mi) from the epicentre. In Oklahoma City, 43 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: Luther 7 km, intensity III · Chandler 26 km, intensity II · Langston 26 km, intensity II · Choctaw 27 km, intensity II · Edmond 29 km, intensity II · Guthrie 30 km, intensity II · Perkins 30 km, intensity II · Midwest City 37 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 2016-01-01 — about 250 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.7 8 km NW of Prague, Oklahoma · 42 km ESE of this epicentre

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 35.7206, -97.1627. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Lincoln County, OK 25 km (16 mi) E earthquakes near Lincoln County
Oklahoma County, OK 29 km (18 mi) SW earthquakes near Oklahoma County
Logan County, OK 34 km (21 mi) NW earthquakes near Logan County
Payne County, OK 43 km (27 mi) NNE earthquakes near Payne County
Cleveland County, OK 59 km (37 mi) SSW earthquakes near Cleveland County
Pottawatomie County, OK 60 km (37 mi) SSE earthquakes near Pottawatomie County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 3.1 5 km W of Arcadia, Oklahoma
  2. 3.0 7 km NNE of Perkins, Oklahoma
  3. 2.6 7 km S of Guthrie, Oklahoma
  4. 2.7 5 km SE of Cushing, Oklahoma
  5. 2.8 5 km SSE of Cushing, Oklahoma
  6. 3.2 Oklahoma
  7. 2.8 4 km SW of Fallis, Oklahoma
  8. 3.2 Oklahoma
  9. 2.7 4 km SW of Fallis, Oklahoma
  10. 3.0 4 km SW of Fallis, Oklahoma
  11. 2.8 5 km SE of Stillwater, Oklahoma
  12. 2.8 10 km WSW of Mulhall, Oklahoma
  13. 3.6 4 km NNE of Crescent, Oklahoma
  14. 4.2 4 km NNE of Crescent, Oklahoma
  15. 2.2 6 km SSE of Cushing, 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.