QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.5ml

Earthquake near Blackwell, OK

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

This page: a magnitude 2.5 earthquake was recorded 50 km (31 mi) west of Blackwell, OK, at 3:21 am CDT on 14 October 2016 (08:21 UTC), 6.1 km deep.

USGS: 8 km ESE of Wakita, Oklahoma

49 km (30 mi) N of Enid, OK · 103 km (64 mi) SSW of Wichita, KS

3:21 am CDT, Oct 14, 2016 · · 6.1 km deep · released about 170 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Grant County 8 kmHarper County 43 kmAlfalfa County 45 kmGarfield County 52 kmSumner County 53 kmKay County 62 kmNoble County 74 kmKingman County 83 kmBarber County 86 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
3:21 am CDT on 14 October 2016 ()
Where
50 km (31 mi) west of Blackwell, OK · earthquakes near Blackwell
Oklahoma today
every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.5 (ml)
Depth
6.1 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Grant County, 8 km SE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3588 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 46 km (29 mi) from the epicentre. In Blackwell, 50 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: Caldwell 29 km, intensity II · Anthony 38 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 170 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 89,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 63,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 5.6× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.5 about 170 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 36.8474, -97.8401. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Grant County, OK 8 km (5 mi) SE earthquakes near Grant County
Harper County, KS 43 km (27 mi) NNW earthquakes near Harper County
Alfalfa County, OK 45 km (28 mi) WSW earthquakes near Alfalfa County
Garfield County, OK 52 km (33 mi) S earthquakes near Garfield County
Sumner County, KS 53 km (33 mi) NE earthquakes near Sumner County
Kay County, OK 62 km (39 mi) E earthquakes near Kay County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 6 km SSE of Freeport, Kansas
  2. 1.6 6 km SSE of Freeport, Kansas
  3. 2.5 7 km SSE of Byron, Oklahoma
  4. 2.5 1 km N of Lamont, Oklahoma
  5. 2.8 6 km SE of Freeport, Kansas
  6. 2.1 0 km N of Manchester, Oklahoma
  7. 2.4 2 km WNW of Deer Creek, Oklahoma
  8. 2.8 8 km W of Deer Creek, Oklahoma
  9. 1.8 4 km SSW of Freeport, Kansas
  10. 2.2 4 km ESE of Caldwell, Kansas
  11. 1.8 4 km ESE of Caldwell, Kansas
  12. 1.8 Kansas
  13. 1.8 8 km ESE of Bluff City, Kansas
  14. 1.6 4 km SE of Freeport, Kansas
  15. 2.3 4 km ESE of Caldwell, Kansas

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.