QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.9ml

Earthquake near Cushing, OK

No earthquake was likely felt in Cushing in the 24 hours to 7:35 am CST (13:35 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 122 km (76 mi) WSW, at 5:53 am CST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 23 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Cushing

This page: a magnitude 2.9 earthquake was recorded 2 km (1 mi) west of Cushing, OK, at 11:32 am CDT on 3 April 2016 (16:32 UTC), 5.1 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 2 km W of Cushing, Oklahoma

87 km (54 mi) NE of Oklahoma City, OK · 30 km (19 mi) ESE of Stillwater, OK

11:32 am CDT, Apr 3, 2016 · · 5.1 km deep · released about 680 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Payne County 19 kmLincoln County 33 kmPawnee County 37 kmCreek County 38 kmNoble County 59 kmLogan County 60 kmOkfuskee County 72 kmOklahoma County 74 kmTulsa County 78 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
11:32 am CDT on 3 April 2016 ()
Where
2 km (1 mi) west of Cushing, OK · earthquakes near Cushing
Oklahoma today
every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.9 (ml)
Depth
5.1 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Payne County, 19 km WNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1562 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 Cushing, 2 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: Cushing 2 km, intensity III · Yale 16 km, intensity III · Perkins 22 km, intensity III · Stillwater 28 km, intensity III · Stroud 29 km, intensity III · Chandler 33 km, intensity III · Pawnee 39 km, intensity II · Langston 42 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

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 35.9883, -96.7934. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Payne County, OK 19 km (12 mi) WNW earthquakes near Payne County
Lincoln County, OK 33 km (20 mi) SSW earthquakes near Lincoln County
Pawnee County, OK 37 km (23 mi) NNE earthquakes near Pawnee County
Creek County, OK 38 km (24 mi) ESE earthquakes near Creek County
Noble County, OK 59 km (37 mi) NW earthquakes near Noble County
Logan County, OK 60 km (37 mi) W earthquakes near Logan County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.2 1 km N of Stillwater, Oklahoma
  2. 2.7 4 km WSW of Fallis, Oklahoma
  3. 3.1 4 km SW of Fallis, Oklahoma
  4. 2.7 4 km SW of Fallis, Oklahoma
  5. 2.6 Oklahoma
  6. 2.7 2 km NNW of Maramec, Oklahoma
  7. 2.7 Oklahoma
  8. 3.4 5 km WSW of Fallis, Oklahoma
  9. 3.4 3 km WSW of Fallis, Oklahoma
  10. 2.6 8 km SW of Yale, Oklahoma
  11. 2.6 Oklahoma
  12. 3.0 4 km WSW of Fallis, Oklahoma
  13. 2.9 4 km WSW of Fallis, Oklahoma
  14. 2.7 4 km SW of Fallis, Oklahoma
  15. 2.9 4 km WSW 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.