QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.6ml

Earthquake near Ponca City, OK

No earthquake was likely felt in Ponca City in the 24 hours to 10:48 am CST (16:48 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 149 km (93 mi) SW, at 5:53 am CST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 23 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Ponca City

This page: a magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded 15 km (9 mi) southwest of Ponca City, OK, at 11:56 am CDT on 19 April 2016 (16:56 UTC), 7.8 km deep.

USGS: 7 km NW of Marland, Oklahoma

54 km (34 mi) NNW of Stillwater, OK · 130 km (81 mi) NNE of Oklahoma City, OK

11:56 am CDT, Apr 19, 2016 · · 7.8 km deep · released about 240 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kay County 23 kmNoble County 25 kmGrant County 56 kmPawnee County 56 kmGarfield County 58 kmPayne County 62 kmOsage County 71 kmSumner County 74 kmCowley County 77 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
11:56 am CDT on 19 April 2016 ()
Where
15 km (9 mi) southwest of Ponca City, OK · earthquakes near Ponca City
Oklahoma today
every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.6 (ml)
Depth
7.8 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Kay County, 23 km NNE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3789 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 Ponca City, 15 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: Ponca City 15 km, intensity III · Blackwell 23 km, intensity II · Perry 36 km, intensity II · Pawnee 47 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

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 36.6100, -97.2047. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kay County, OK 23 km (15 mi) NNE earthquakes near Kay County
Noble County, OK 25 km (16 mi) S earthquakes near Noble County
Grant County, OK 56 km (35 mi) WNW earthquakes near Grant County
Pawnee County, OK 56 km (35 mi) SE earthquakes near Pawnee County
Garfield County, OK 58 km (36 mi) WSW earthquakes near Garfield County
Payne County, OK 62 km (39 mi) SSE earthquakes near Payne County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.9 7 km E of Marland, Oklahoma
  2. 3.2 7 km ESE of Marland, Oklahoma
  3. 2.6 5 km WNW of Lucien, Oklahoma
  4. 2.6 7 km ESE of Lucien, Oklahoma
  5. 2.7 9 km W of Lamont, Oklahoma
  6. 2.7 3 km NNW of Covington, Oklahoma
  7. 3.3 5 km WNW of Lucien, Oklahoma
  8. 3.1 12 km NNW of Perry, Oklahoma
  9. 2.9 10 km ESE of Jefferson, Oklahoma
  10. 3.1 4 km SSW of Pawnee, Oklahoma
  11. 2.8 9 km E of Medford, Oklahoma
  12. 2.7 4 km SSE of Braman, Oklahoma
  13. 2.7 8 km ESE of Pond Creek, Oklahoma
  14. 3.1 8 km W of Deer Creek, Oklahoma
  15. 2.7 2 km NNW of Lamont, 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.