QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0ml

Earthquake near Caldwell, KS

No earthquake was likely felt in Caldwell in the 24 hours to 8:50 am CST (14:50 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 163 km (101 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 Caldwell

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 10 km (6 mi) west-northwest of Caldwell, KS, at 8:26 pm CDT on 24 April 2017 (01:26 UTC), 5.7 km deep.

USGS: 10 km WNW of Caldwell, Kansas

77 km (48 mi) SSW of Wichita, KS

8:26 pm CDT, Apr 24, 2017 · · 5.7 km deep · released about 36 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Caldwell Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Sumner County 27 kmGrant County 32 kmHarper County 34 kmKay County 58 kmAlfalfa County 66 kmKingman County 66 kmSedgwick County 72 kmGarfield County 77 kmCowley County 80 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
8:26 pm CDT on 24 April 2017 ()
Where
10 km (6 mi) west-northwest of Caldwell, KS · earthquakes near Caldwell
Magnitude
M 2.0 (ml)
Depth
5.7 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Sumner County, 27 km NE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3487 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 26 km (16 mi) from the epicentre. In Caldwell, 10 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.

Likely felt in: Caldwell 10 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 36 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 420,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 300,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 27× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 36 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.1 on 2017-03-29 — about 1,200 times the energy of this one.

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 37.0663, -97.7147. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Sumner County, KS 27 km (17 mi) NE earthquakes near Sumner County
Grant County, OK 32 km (20 mi) SSW earthquakes near Grant County
Harper County, KS 34 km (21 mi) WNW earthquakes near Harper County
Kay County, OK 58 km (36 mi) ESE earthquakes near Kay County
Alfalfa County, OK 66 km (41 mi) SW earthquakes near Alfalfa County
Kingman County, KS 66 km (41 mi) NW earthquakes near Kingman 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. 2.4 7 km SE of Harper, Kansas
  2. 2.5 7 km SE of Harper, Kansas
  3. 3.6 6 km SE of Harper, Kansas
  4. 2.7 10 km W of Lamont, Oklahoma
  5. 2.2 9 km W of Bluff City, Kansas
  6. 2.3 8 km SSW of Clearwater, Kansas
  7. 1.5 7 km ESE of Bluff City, Kansas
  8. 2.5 10 km WNW of Belle Plaine, Kansas
  9. 2.2 5 km ENE of Milan, Kansas
  10. 1.5 4 km ENE of Milan, Kansas
  11. 2.6 10 km W of Belle Plaine, Kansas
  12. 1.9 4 km NNE of Freeport, Kansas
  13. 1.8 7 km ESE of Bluff City, Kansas
  14. 2.6 10 km W of Belle Plaine, Kansas
  15. 1.9 7 km SE of Harper, 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.