Every recorded earthquake within 30 km
Earthquakes near Waterloo, IL
No earthquake was likely felt in Waterloo in the 24 hours to 5:13 am CST (11:13 UTC). The last one was M 3.5, 192 km (120 mi) E, at 2:05 am CDT on 29 June 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 392 felt reports to USGS.
M 2.0
Latest: 8:23 pm CST on 1 February 2026 · 17 km (10 mi) SW of Waterloo, IL
The most recent earthquake near Waterloo was M 2.0, 17 km (10 mi) SW of Waterloo, IL, at 8:23 pm CST on 1 February 2026, 11 km deep. 10 people reported feeling it to USGS. The estimated shaking in Waterloo was intensity II (weak), felt by some people at rest indoors.
No earthquake of M1.5 or more was recorded within 30 km (19 mi) of Waterloo in the last 24 hours.
- Last 24 hours
- 0
- Last 7 days
- 0
- Last 30 days
- 0 · since 2016, about one every 19 months
- Last 12 months
- 1 · largest M 2.0 on 1 February 2026
- Since 2016
- 7 earthquakes of M1.5 or more within 30 km
- Largest since 2016
- M 2.5 on 6 December 2022, 15 km (10 mi) WNW of Waterloo, IL
- Reported felt
- 6 of them have felt reports to USGS
- Nearest mapped fault
- St. Louis-Cape Girardeau liquefaction features, under 1 km from its surface trace
USGS · feed checked · newest earthquake in our database · this page · counts are earthquakes of M1.5 or more within 30 km (19 mi) of the town centre; shaking is estimated for the town centre with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses
If you felt one
- Was that an earthquake? — checks what was recorded near you in the last hour
- Report what you felt to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us, and they are what produces the intensity maps
- Expect aftershocks, and be ready to Drop, Cover, and Hold On if you feel one; if you are in a damaged building, go outside and move away from it (Ready.gov, FEMA; what to do during and after an earthquake)
- Illinois earthquakes today — every one in the state in the last 24 hours
- Earthquakes in Illinois — with the state's activity score
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings or forecasts. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert and the MyShake app.
Earthquake alerts for Waterloo, IL
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Waterloo, IL. 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.
The last 30 days
The latest 7
- 2.0 17 km (10 mi) SW of Waterloo, IL · felt by 10
- 2.4 28 km (17 mi) NW of Waterloo, IL · felt by 136
- 2.3 14 km (9 mi) SW of Waterloo, IL · felt by 43
- 2.3 17 km (11 mi) WSW of Waterloo, IL · felt by 14
- 2.5 15 km (10 mi) WNW of Waterloo, IL · felt by 298
- 2.3 27 km (17 mi) SE of Waterloo, IL · felt by 3
- 2.3 21 km (13 mi) SSW of Waterloo, IL
From the QuakeIndex database, which reads the USGS feed every 30 seconds and holds the USGS catalogue for the US from 2016 (M1.5+). Times are Waterloo time. Distances are from the town centre. Quakes USGS named after Waterloo are listed even when they are further out.
Show these earthquakes on your own site: a free card with the latest quakes near Waterloo, for a local news site, school or neighborhood page.
On the map
The white circle is Waterloo; dots are the 7 most recent earthquakes within 30 km. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Estimated shaking in Waterloo
The strongest shaking in Waterloo from a quake since 2016 is estimated at intensity III (weak), from the M 2.5 on 6 December 2022, 15 km away. Intensity II and III are felt by some people at rest indoors; IV by most people indoors; V and above wakes sleepers and moves objects.
| Magnitude | When | Distance | Shaking in Waterloo (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 2.5 | 15 km | III · Weak · felt by 298 | |
| M 2.3 | 14 km | II · Weak · felt by 43 | |
| M 2.3 | 17 km | II · Weak · felt by 14 | |
| M 2.3 | 21 km | II · Weak | |
| M 2.4 | 28 km | II · Weak · felt by 136 |
An estimate for the town centre from magnitude, depth and distance, with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses (Atkinson & Wald, 2007), on the Modified Mercalli scale. All 5 reach intensity II or more in town, where people at rest start to notice. Ground conditions change it street by street. It describes the past, not a hazard.
Before 2016
The USGS record since 1900 lists one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km of Waterloo:
- 5.1 Southwestern Illinois · 27 km S of Waterloo
USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900 to 2015. This is the record, not a forecast.
Nearest mapped faults
- St. Louis-Cape Girardeau liquefaction features, under 1 km from its surface trace
- Wabash Valley liquefaction features, 31 km from its surface trace
USGS Quaternary Fault and Fold Database. Near is not the same as on.
Be ready
Earthquakes cannot be predicted, here or anywhere, so the useful step is the one taken beforehand. The advice below is from the agencies responsible for it.
- Ready.gov: earthquakes (FEMA) — what to do before, during and after, including Drop, Cover, and Hold On
- Build a kit (FEMA) — water, food and supplies for several days; our summary
- USGS: preparedness — the hazard behind the advice, from the agency that records every quake on this page
- The Great ShakeOut — the yearly earthquake drill, with material for homes, schools and workplaces
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings or forecasts. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert and the MyShake app.