QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.3ml

Earthquake near Ponca City, OK

No earthquake was likely felt in Ponca City in the 24 hours to 7:34 am CST (13:34 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 3.3 earthquake was recorded 43 km (27 mi) west-northwest of Ponca City, OK, at 7:33 pm CDT on 23 October 2016 (00:33 UTC), 8.0 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 2 km WNW of Deer Creek, Oklahoma

99 km (61 mi) S of Wichita, KS · 54 km (34 mi) NNE of Enid, OK

7:33 pm CDT, Oct 23, 2016 · · 8.0 km deep · released about 1.3 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Ponca City Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Grant County 22 kmKay County 36 kmSumner County 47 kmGarfield County 53 kmNoble County 55 kmHarper County 62 kmAlfalfa County 70 kmCowley County 78 kmPawnee County 94 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
7:33 pm CDT on 23 October 2016 ()
Where
43 km (27 mi) west-northwest of Ponca City, OK · earthquakes near Ponca City
Oklahoma today
every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 3.3 (ml)
Depth
8.0 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Grant County, 22 km W
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3583 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 234 km (145 mi) from the epicentre. In Ponca City, 43 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: Blackwell 23 km, intensity III · Caldwell 24 km, intensity III · Ponca City 43 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1.3 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 130,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 5,600× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 4,000× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.3 about 1.3 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 2.8× more

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 36.8173, -97.5462. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Grant County, OK 22 km (14 mi) W earthquakes near Grant County
Kay County, OK 36 km (22 mi) E earthquakes near Kay County
Sumner County, KS 47 km (29 mi) N earthquakes near Sumner County
Garfield County, OK 53 km (33 mi) SSW earthquakes near Garfield County
Noble County, OK 55 km (34 mi) SSE earthquakes near Noble County
Harper County, KS 62 km (38 mi) NW earthquakes near Harper 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. 2.6 10 km E of Nescatunga, Oklahoma
  2. 2.1 7 km ESE of Anthony, Kansas
  3. 1.6 7 km ESE of Anthony, Kansas
  4. 2.1 7 km ESE of Anthony, Kansas
  5. 2.3 7 km ESE of Anthony, Kansas
  6. 2.5 9 km E of Medford, Oklahoma
  7. 2.4 11 km NNW of Nardin, Oklahoma
  8. 2.6 11 km NNW of Nardin, Oklahoma
  9. 1.6 6 km SSE of Freeport, Kansas
  10. 3.3 7 km NNE of Wakita, Oklahoma
  11. 2.6 6 km NNE of Wakita, Oklahoma
  12. 3.7 7 km NNE of Wakita, Oklahoma
  13. 2.5 14 km SSE of Billings, Oklahoma
  14. 3.3 14 km SSE of Billings, Oklahoma
  15. 2.8 8 km W of Deer 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.