QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8ml

Earthquake near Caldwell, KS

No earthquake was likely felt in Caldwell in the 24 hours to 5:57 pm CST (23:57 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 1.8 earthquake was recorded 13 km (8 mi) southwest of Caldwell, KS, at 7:59 am CDT on 7 October 2017 (12:59 UTC), 6.1 km deep.

USGS: 6 km NW of Renfrow, Oklahoma

88 km (54 mi) SSW of Wichita, KS

7:59 am CDT, Oct 7, 2017 · · 6.1 km deep · released about 17 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Grant County 20 kmSumner County 37 kmHarper County 40 kmKay County 54 kmAlfalfa County 60 kmGarfield County 65 kmKingman County 76 kmNoble County 77 kmSedgwick 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
7:59 am CDT on 7 October 2017 ()
Where
13 km (8 mi) southwest of Caldwell, KS · earthquakes near Caldwell
Oklahoma today
every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.8 (ml)
Depth
6.1 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Grant County, 20 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3316 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 17 km (11 mi) from the epicentre. In Caldwell, 13 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 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 17 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 5.8 900,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 640,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 57× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 17 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 4.3 on 2017-09-08 — about 5,100 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 36.9610, -97.7190. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Grant County, OK 20 km (13 mi) SSW earthquakes near Grant County
Sumner County, KS 37 km (23 mi) NNE earthquakes near Sumner County
Harper County, KS 40 km (25 mi) NW earthquakes near Harper County
Kay County, OK 54 km (33 mi) ESE earthquakes near Kay County
Alfalfa County, OK 60 km (37 mi) WSW earthquakes near Alfalfa County
Garfield County, OK 65 km (40 mi) S earthquakes near Garfield County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.1 9 km W of Bluff City, Kansas
  2. 1.9 4 km NNE of Anthony, Kansas
  3. 1.9 1 km NNW of Milan, Kansas
  4. 2.4 10 km WNW of Caldwell, Kansas
  5. 1.6 10 km NNW of Caldwell, Kansas
  6. 1.9 3 km E of Freeport, Kansas
  7. 1.6 7 km E of Manchester, Oklahoma
  8. 1.7 4 km SW of Mayfield, Kansas
  9. 2.8 5 km E of Nescatunga, Oklahoma
  10. 1.6 2 km E of Freeport, Kansas
  11. 1.8 6 km SSW of Freeport, Kansas
  12. 2.5 6 km E of Nescatunga, Oklahoma
  13. 2.5 8 km N of Nardin, Oklahoma
  14. 3.3 7 km N of Nardin, Oklahoma
  15. 1.7 1 km NNW of Milan, 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.