M 3.5 Earthquake 2 km E of Johnson, Oklahoma
Areazine synthesizes this USGS earthquake report directly from USGS's official public data feed. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
A magnitude 3.5 ml earthquake struck 2 km east of Johnson, Oklahoma, on May 18, 2026, at 12:07 UTC and was felt by 76 people.
What this USGS earthquake report tells you, and what most readers miss
This notice was issued by USGS on May 19, 2026 and geographically references Oklahoma. Its severity classification of "low" signals how the issuing agency weighs the risk of harm if no action is taken - "critical" and "high" tier alerts typically carry direct consumer actions, while "medium" and "low" tend toward informational guidance or monitoring advisories. The category it belongs to - Earthquakes - determines the monitoring protocol behind it, which shapes what follow-up action (checking for structural damage, watching for aftershocks, reviewing local building codes) is relevant and which agency holds authority over the assessment.
Most readers skim a notice like this, check whether they are personally affected, and move on. The more useful lens is to verify its scope, source, and timestamp, then compare related notices without assuming that one record proves a broader trend.
Areazine pairs this record with the original agency URL so you can check the primary source before acting. Its related labels are earthquake, seismic, usgs, Oklahoma.
What Happened
A M 3.5 ml earthquake occurred at 12:07:52 UTC on May 18, 2026 (Unix time 1779173272978). The event was located at coordinates 35.40712357°N, -96.8181076°E with a depth of 4.25 km.
Location Details
The earthquake was centered 2 km east of Johnson, Oklahoma. The shallow depth of 4.25 km classifies it as a shallow event (<20 km).
Impact Assessment
The earthquake was felt by 76 people, with a maximum reported intensity (CDI) of 4.1. No tsunami was generated (tsunami flag: 0) and no alert level was issued.
What You Should Know
Earthquakes of this magnitude are often felt but rarely cause damage. Residents should be aware that smaller aftershocks remain possible.
Source
Original source: USGS Official Notice ↗
Related Earthquakes
All Earthquakes →Nationwide notices with similar length or severity timing 8
Two Areazine-derived peer sets for this USGS earthquake report: nearest notices by body length and by same severity near the same agency date. Peers come from other categories so they are not the same-feed Related list above.
Similar body length
Nearest notices by article body length (786 characters here).
Similar severity timing
Same severity (low) notices issued closest in time to May 19, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this USGS earthquake report.