QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5ml

Earthquake near Anthony, KS

No earthquake was likely felt in Anthony in the 24 hours to 4:53 pm CST (22:53 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 172 km (107 mi) S, at 5:53 am CST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 23 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Anthony

This page: a magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 16 km (10 mi) southeast of Anthony, KS, at 9:50 am CST on 16 February 2016 (15:50 UTC), 6.1 km deep.

USGS: 2 km SW of Bluff City, Kansas

86 km (53 mi) SW of Wichita, KS

9:50 am CST, Feb 16, 2016 · · 6.1 km deep · released about 6.2 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Harper County 21 kmGrant County 31 kmSumner County 41 kmAlfalfa County 53 kmKingman County 60 kmKay County 72 kmBarber County 72 kmGarfield County 76 kmSedgwick County 79 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
9:50 am CST on 16 February 2016 ()
Where
16 km (10 mi) southeast of Anthony, KS · earthquakes near Anthony
Magnitude
M 1.5 (ml)
Depth
6.1 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Harper County, 21 km NW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3584 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Anthony, 16 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Caldwell, Harper.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 6.2 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,500,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,700,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 150× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.5 about 6.2 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 37.0552, -97.8957. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Harper County, KS 21 km (13 mi) NW earthquakes near Harper County
Grant County, OK 31 km (19 mi) SSE earthquakes near Grant County
Sumner County, KS 41 km (25 mi) ENE earthquakes near Sumner County
Alfalfa County, OK 53 km (33 mi) SW earthquakes near Alfalfa County
Kingman County, KS 60 km (37 mi) NNW earthquakes near Kingman County
Kay County, OK 72 km (45 mi) ESE earthquakes near Kay County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 4 km SW of Bluff City, Kansas
  2. 1.6 5 km SSW of Harper, Kansas
  3. 1.6 6 km NW of Mayfield, Kansas
  4. 2.5 3 km N of Nash, Oklahoma
  5. 3.0 5 km E of Pond Creek, Oklahoma
  6. 2.6 5 km E of Pond Creek, Oklahoma
  7. 1.7 3 km E of Bluff City, Kansas
  8. 2.5 7 km E of Nescatunga, Oklahoma
  9. 2.1 6 km SSE of Harper, Kansas
  10. 1.6 5 km NW of Mayfield, Kansas
  11. 1.7 5 km SW of Mayfield, Kansas
  12. 1.6 5 km NW of Mayfield, Kansas
  13. 3.1 5 km E of Pond Creek, Oklahoma
  14. 1.9 7 km NE of Anthony, Kansas
  15. 1.5 Kansas

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.