Every recorded earthquake within 30 km
Earthquakes near Harlan, KY
No earthquake was likely felt in Harlan in the 24 hours to 8:31 am EST (13:31 UTC). The last one was M 4.1, 156 km (97 mi) SSW, at 9:04 am EDT on 10 May 2025, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 45,935 felt reports to USGS.
M 2.7
Latest: 5:47 am EDT on 22 May 2024 · 19 km (12 mi) N of Harlan, KY
The most recent earthquake of M2.5 or more near Harlan was M 2.7, 19 km (12 mi) N of Harlan, KY, at 5:47 am EDT on 22 May 2024, 13 km deep. 3 people reported feeling it to USGS. The estimated shaking in Harlan was intensity III (weak), felt by some people at rest indoors. 1 smaller earthquake has been recorded near Harlan since; the newest is first in the list below.
No earthquake of M1.5 or more was recorded within 30 km (19 mi) of Harlan in the last 24 hours.
- Last 24 hours
- 0
- Last 7 days
- 0
- Last 30 days
- 0 · since 2016, about one every 12 months
- Last 12 months
- 1 · largest M 2.1 on 10 January 2026
- Since 2016
- 11 earthquakes of M1.5 or more within 30 km
- Largest since 2016
- M 2.7 on 22 May 2024, 19 km (12 mi) N of Harlan, KY
- Reported felt
- 9 of them have felt reports to USGS
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)
- Kentucky earthquakes today — every one in the state in the last 24 hours
- Earthquakes in Kentucky — 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 Harlan, KY
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Harlan, KY. 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 11
- 2.1 29 km (18 mi) WSW of Harlan, KY · felt by 1
- 2.7 19 km (12 mi) N of Harlan, KY · felt by 3
- 2.2 25 km (16 mi) ENE of Harlan, KY · felt by 3
- 2.0 12 km (8 mi) S of Harlan, KY · felt by 1
- 2.2 28 km (17 mi) SW of Harlan, KY · felt by 1
- 2.0 11 km (7 mi) SE of Harlan, KY
- 2.3 8 km (5 mi) ENE of Harlan, KY · felt by 2
- 2.1 29 km (18 mi) WNW of Harlan, KY · felt by 1
- 2.7 30 km (18 mi) WNW of Harlan, KY · felt by 7
- 2.5 8 km (5 mi) NNW of Harlan, KY · felt by 4
- 1.9 16 km (10 mi) NNE of Harlan, KY
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 Harlan time. Distances are from the town centre. Quakes USGS named after Harlan are listed even when they are further out.
Show these earthquakes on your own site: a free card with the latest quakes near Harlan, for a local news site, school or neighborhood page.
On the map
The white circle is Harlan; dots are the 11 most recent earthquakes within 30 km. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Estimated shaking in Harlan
The strongest shaking in Harlan from a quake since 2016 is estimated at intensity III (weak), from the M 2.7 on 22 May 2024, 19 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 Harlan (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 2.7 | 19 km | III · Weak · felt by 3 | |
| M 2.5 | 8 km | II · Weak · felt by 4 | |
| M 2.3 | 8 km | II · Weak · felt by 2 | |
| M 2.0 | 11 km | II · Weak | |
| M 2.7 | 30 km | II · Weak · felt by 7 |
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 no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km of Harlan.
USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900 to 2015. This is the record, not a forecast.
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.