QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8ml

Earthquake near Derby, KS

No earthquake was likely felt in Derby in the 24 hours to 2:26 pm CST (20:26 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 226 km (140 mi) SSW, at 5:53 am CST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 23 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Derby

This page: a magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 50 km (31 mi) west-southwest of Derby, KS, at 9:54 am CST on 25 January 2017 (15:54 UTC), 5.8 km deep.

USGS: 9 km S of Milton, Kansas

54 km (33 mi) SW of Wichita, KS

9:54 am CST, Jan 25, 2017 · · 5.8 km deep · released about 15 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Sumner County 28 kmHarper County 31 kmKingman County 40 kmSedgwick County 46 kmGrant County 62 kmReno County 72 kmBarber County 82 kmKay County 82 kmHarvey County 83 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
9:54 am CST on 25 January 2017 ()
Where
50 km (31 mi) west-southwest of Derby, KS · earthquakes near Derby
Magnitude
M 1.8 (ml)
Depth
5.8 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Sumner County, 28 km ESE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3541 days ago

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

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 15 km (9 mi) from the epicentre. In Derby, 50 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). 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: Conway Springs 13 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 15 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,000,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 730,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 65× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 15 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 37.3498, -97.7772. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Sumner County, KS 28 km (17 mi) ESE earthquakes near Sumner County
Harper County, KS 31 km (19 mi) SW earthquakes near Harper County
Kingman County, KS 40 km (25 mi) NW earthquakes near Kingman County
Sedgwick County, KS 46 km (29 mi) NE earthquakes near Sedgwick County
Grant County, OK 62 km (39 mi) S earthquakes near Grant County
Reno County, KS 72 km (45 mi) NNW earthquakes near Reno County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 5 km NW of Milan, Kansas
  2. 1.7 5 km SSW of Bluff City, Kansas
  3. 2.2 5 km NW of Milan, Kansas
  4. 1.7 5 km SSE of Freeport, Kansas
  5. 2.8 8 km NE of Attica, Kansas
  6. 2.5 7 km ENE of Attica, Kansas
  7. 1.5 9 km W of Bluff City, Kansas
  8. 2.2 8 km ENE of Attica, Kansas
  9. 1.5 12 km W of Caldwell, Kansas
  10. 2.1 7 km NNE of Attica, Kansas
  11. 1.7 5 km SSE of Freeport, Kansas
  12. 2.6 6 km ENE of Attica, Kansas
  13. 2.3 7 km NE of Attica, Kansas
  14. 2.6 2 km ENE of South Haven, Kansas
  15. 1.6 2 km E of Argonia, 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.