QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.6ml

Earthquake near Buffalo, OK

No earthquake was likely felt in Buffalo in the 24 hours to 5:30 pm CST (23:30 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 197 km (122 mi) SE, at 5:53 am CST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 23 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Buffalo

This page: a magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded 30 km (19 mi) east-northeast of Buffalo, OK, at 5:19 pm CDT on 9 September 2017 (22:19 UTC), 2.2 km deep.

USGS: 27 km NW of Freedom, Oklahoma

5:19 pm CDT, Sep 9, 2017 · · 2.2 km deep · released about 240 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Comanche County 27 kmHarper County 34 kmWoods County 48 kmClark County 54 kmWoodward County 58 kmBarber County 64 kmKiowa County 68 kmEllis County 89 kmAlfalfa County 92 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
5:19 pm CDT on 9 September 2017 ()
Where
30 km (19 mi) east-northeast of Buffalo, OK · earthquakes near Buffalo
Oklahoma today
every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.6 (ml)
Depth
2.2 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Comanche County, 27 km NNE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3261 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 Buffalo, 30 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: Buffalo 30 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 36.9500, -99.3253. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Comanche County, KS 27 km (17 mi) NNE earthquakes near Comanche County
Harper County, OK 34 km (21 mi) WSW earthquakes near Harper County
Woods County, OK 48 km (30 mi) ESE earthquakes near Woods County
Clark County, KS 54 km (33 mi) NW earthquakes near Clark County
Woodward County, OK 58 km (36 mi) S earthquakes near Woodward County
Barber County, KS 64 km (40 mi) ENE earthquakes near Barber County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.7 16 km SSW of Freedom, Oklahoma
  2. 2.4 14 km SSE of Freedom, Oklahoma
  3. 2.8 14 km SSE of Freedom, Oklahoma
  4. 2.9 14 km SSE of Freedom, Oklahoma
  5. 2.8 23 km NE of Fort Supply, Oklahoma
  6. 2.6 15 km SSW of Freedom, Oklahoma
  7. 2.5 14 km WNW of Waynoka, Oklahoma
  8. 2.6 14 km WNW of Waynoka, Oklahoma
  9. 2.9 14 km SSE of Freedom, Oklahoma
  10. 2.1 6 km WNW of Buffalo, Oklahoma
  11. 2.3 8 km W of Buffalo, Oklahoma
  12. 2.8 22 km NE of Fort Supply, Oklahoma
  13. 2.7 27 km SSE of Protection, Kansas
  14. 3.0 22 km NE of Fort Supply, Oklahoma
  15. 2.4 12 km NNE of Woodward, 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.