QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.2ml

Earthquake near Watonga, OK

No earthquake was likely felt in Watonga in the 24 hours to 10:59 pm CST (04:59 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 42 km (26 mi) SE, at 5:53 am CST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 23 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Watonga

This page: a magnitude 3.2 earthquake was recorded 16 km (10 mi) west-southwest of Watonga, OK, at 10:44 pm CST on 17 February 2018 (04:44 UTC), 2.3 km deep. 11 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 15 km WSW of Watonga, Oklahoma

10:44 pm CST, Feb 17, 2018 · · 2.3 km deep · released about 1,900 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Watonga Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Blaine County 16 kmCuster County 41 kmDewey County 45 kmMajor County 58 kmKingfisher County 60 kmCanadian County 60 kmWashita County 67 kmCaddo County 72 kmWoodward 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
10:44 pm CST on 17 February 2018 ()
Where
16 km (10 mi) west-southwest of Watonga, OK · earthquakes near Watonga
Oklahoma today
every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 3.2 (ml)
Depth
2.3 km below the surface
Felt
11 reports · strongest reported intensity V
Nearest
Blaine County, 16 km NE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3103 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 190 km (118 mi) from the epicentre. In Watonga, 16 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: Watonga 16 km, intensity III · Thomas 16 km, intensity III · Okeene 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 1,900 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 180,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 7,900× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 5,600× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.2 about 1,900 lb of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 2× 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 35.7914, -98.5748. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Blaine County, OK 16 km (10 mi) NE earthquakes near Blaine County
Custer County, OK 41 km (26 mi) WSW earthquakes near Custer County
Dewey County, OK 45 km (28 mi) WNW earthquakes near Dewey County
Major County, OK 58 km (36 mi) N earthquakes near Major County
Kingfisher County, OK 60 km (37 mi) ENE earthquakes near Kingfisher County
Canadian County, OK 60 km (38 mi) ESE earthquakes near Canadian County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 16 km E of Watonga, Oklahoma
  2. 2.0 7 km SW of Loyal, Oklahoma
  3. 1.9 16 km E of Watonga, Oklahoma
  4. 2.3 16 km E of Watonga, Oklahoma
  5. 2.3 6 km ENE of Custer City, Oklahoma
  6. 1.9 13 km ESE of Watonga, Oklahoma
  7. 2.2 14 km ESE of Watonga, Oklahoma
  8. 2.3 Oklahoma
  9. 2.5 5 km NNE of Okeene, Oklahoma
  10. 2.5 11 km ESE of Watonga, Oklahoma
  11. 2.8 9 km NE of Thomas, Oklahoma
  12. 3.0 4 km NNE of Okeene, Oklahoma
  13. 2.7 5 km NNE of Okeene, Oklahoma
  14. 2.9 5 km S of Fairview, Oklahoma
  15. 2.5 13 km NW of Longdale, 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.