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 2:33 pm CST (20:33 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 11 km (7 mi) north of Caldwell, KS, at 4:27 am CST on 1 January 2018 (10:27 UTC), 3.1 km deep.

USGS: 10 km N of Caldwell, Kansas

67 km (42 mi) SSW of Wichita, KS

4:27 am CST, Jan 1, 2018 · · 3.1 km deep · released about 33 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Sumner County 16 kmHarper County 40 kmGrant County 41 kmKay County 55 kmSedgwick County 63 kmKingman County 66 kmCowley County 70 kmAlfalfa County 77 kmGarfield County 85 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
4:27 am CST on 1 January 2018 ()
Where
11 km (7 mi) north of Caldwell, KS · earthquakes near Caldwell
Magnitude
M 2.0 (ml)
Depth
3.1 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Sumner County, 16 km NE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3234 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 25 km (16 mi) from the epicentre. In Caldwell, 11 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 11 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 33 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 5.8 450,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 320,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 29× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 33 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 2,500 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 37.1285, -97.6168. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Sumner County, KS 16 km (10 mi) NE earthquakes near Sumner County
Harper County, KS 40 km (25 mi) W earthquakes near Harper County
Grant County, OK 41 km (25 mi) SSW earthquakes near Grant County
Kay County, OK 55 km (34 mi) SE earthquakes near Kay County
Sedgwick County, KS 63 km (39 mi) NNE earthquakes near Sedgwick 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

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

  1. 2.1 0 km NNW of Bluff City, Kansas
  2. 1.9 6 km SE of Freeport, Kansas
  3. 1.6 4 km WNW of South Haven, Kansas
  4. 2.1 0 km NNW of Bluff City, Kansas
  5. 3.0 5 km S of Deer Creek, Oklahoma
  6. 2.6 7 km N of Nardin, Oklahoma
  7. 2.0 9 km W of Medford, Oklahoma
  8. 2.6 1 km SSE of Renfrow, Oklahoma
  9. 3.6 1 km SSE of Renfrow, Oklahoma
  10. 2.0 5 km SSE of Bluff City, Kansas
  11. 1.8 3 km E of Freeport, Kansas
  12. 2.6 10 km ESE of Jefferson, Oklahoma
  13. 1.6 6 km SE of Anthony, Kansas
  14. 2.7 11 km SW of Wakita, Oklahoma
  15. 2.5 8 km W of Deer Creek, Oklahoma

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.