Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 4.1mwr
Earthquake near Ponca City, OK
No earthquake was likely felt in Ponca City in the 24 hours to 7:36 am CST (13:36 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 4.1 earthquake was recorded 48 km (30 mi) west-northwest of Ponca City, OK, at 10:37 am CDT on 29 March 2017 (15:37 UTC), 2.8 km deep. 257 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 8 km W of Deer Creek, Oklahoma
51 km (32 mi) NNE of Enid, OK · 100 km (62 mi) SSW of Wichita, KS
- When
- 10:37 am CDT on 29 March 2017 ()
- Where
- 48 km (30 mi) west-northwest of Ponca City, OK · earthquakes near Ponca City
- Oklahoma today
- every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
- Magnitude
- M 4.1 (mwr)
- Depth
- 2.8 km below the surface
- Felt
- 257 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
- Measured shaking
- intensity IV (ShakeMap)
- USGS impact alert
- green
- Nearest
- Grant County, 16 km W
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2428 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Ponca City, OK
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Ponca City, OK. No account or email needed.
Alerts are on for .
Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
This was a light earthquake. It is usually felt clearly nearby and can rattle windows and dishes, but damage is uncommon.
At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 491 km (305 mi) from the epicentre. In Ponca City, 48 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: Caldwell 24 km, intensity IV · Blackwell 29 km, intensity IV · Ponca City 48 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 21 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.1 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 7,900× the energy of this one
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 350× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 250× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 4.1 about 21 tons of TNT
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 45× 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
The largest earthquake within 50 km (31 mi) since our catalogue begins in 2016. The previous largest was M 4.0 on 2016-11-25.
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 36.8150, -97.6114. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grant County, OK | 16 km (10 mi) | W | earthquakes near Grant County |
| Kay County, OK | 42 km (26 mi) | E | earthquakes near Kay County |
| Sumner County, KS | 48 km (30 mi) | NNE | earthquakes near Sumner County |
| Garfield County, OK | 51 km (32 mi) | SSW | earthquakes near Garfield County |
| Harper County, KS | 58 km (36 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Harper County |
| Noble County, OK | 58 km (36 mi) | SE | earthquakes near Noble 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.
- 2.2 2 km SE of Bluff City, Kansas
- 2.6 10 km W of Lamont, Oklahoma
- 2.3 4 km SE of Freeport, Kansas
- 2.7 9 km W of Lamont, Oklahoma
- 3.3 10 km W of Lamont, Oklahoma
- 2.0 6 km SSE of Bluff City, Kansas
- 2.2 9 km W of Bluff City, Kansas
- 1.7 6 km SSE of Bluff City, Kansas
- 3.0 10 km W of Lamont, Oklahoma
- 3.0 4 km WNW of Medford, Oklahoma
- 2.0 10 km WNW of Caldwell, Kansas
- 1.9 10 km N of Caldwell, Kansas
- 2.6 5 km WNW of Medford, Oklahoma
- 3.6 9 km W of Lamont, Oklahoma
- 3.0 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
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.