QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.6ml

Earthquake near Cherokee, OK

No earthquake was likely felt in Cherokee in the 24 hours to 3:35 pm CST (21:35 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 130 km (81 mi) SSE, at 5:53 am CST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 23 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Cherokee

This page: a magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded 14 km (9 mi) northeast of Cherokee, OK, at 8:47 pm CDT on 28 May 2016 (01:47 UTC), 6.3 km deep.

USGS: 8 km SE of Byron, Oklahoma

58 km (36 mi) NW of Enid, OK · 123 km (77 mi) SW of Wichita, KS

8:47 pm CDT, May 28, 2016 · · 6.3 km deep · released about 240 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Alfalfa County 14 kmGrant County 41 kmHarper County 42 kmWoods County 57 kmBarber County 58 kmMajor County 64 kmGarfield County 65 kmSumner County 80 kmKingman County 80 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
8:47 pm CDT on 28 May 2016 ()
Where
14 km (9 mi) northeast of Cherokee, OK · earthquakes near Cherokee
Oklahoma today
every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.6 (ml)
Depth
6.3 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Alfalfa County, 14 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3745 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 Cherokee, 14 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: Cherokee 14 km, intensity III · Helena 33 km, intensity II · Alva 38 km, intensity II · Anthony 40 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 36.8384, -98.2406. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Alfalfa County, OK 14 km (9 mi) SSW earthquakes near Alfalfa County
Grant County, OK 41 km (25 mi) E earthquakes near Grant County
Harper County, KS 42 km (26 mi) NNE earthquakes near Harper County
Woods County, OK 57 km (35 mi) WSW earthquakes near Woods County
Barber County, KS 58 km (36 mi) NW earthquakes near Barber County
Major County, OK 64 km (40 mi) SSW earthquakes near Major County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 3.3 5 km ENE of Avard, Oklahoma
  2. 2.5 4 km ENE of Avard, Oklahoma
  3. 3.0 5 km ENE of Avard, Oklahoma
  4. 2.7 5 km NE of Carmen, Oklahoma
  5. 2.5 5 km NE of Carmen, Oklahoma
  6. 3.1 5 km NE of Carmen, Oklahoma
  7. 2.5 Oklahoma
  8. 2.7 9 km E of Lambert, Oklahoma
  9. 2.1 10 km SE of Bluff City, Kansas
  10. 1.6 4 km NE of Anthony, Kansas
  11. 2.9 7 km E of Nescatunga, Oklahoma
  12. 2.1 2 km E of Anthony, Kansas
  13. 1.5 5 km NE of Anthony, Kansas
  14. 2.5 5 km E of Pond Creek, Oklahoma
  15. 3.0 5 km E of Pond Creek, 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.