QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1ml

Earthquake near Conway Springs, KS

No earthquake was likely felt in Conway Springs in the 24 hours to 10:56 am CST (16:56 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 201 km (125 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 Conway Springs

This page: a magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 13 km (8 mi) west-southwest of Conway Springs, KS, at 5:02 am CST on 26 January 2018 (11:02 UTC), 5.3 km deep.

USGS: 7 km N of Argonia, Kansas

55 km (34 mi) SW of Wichita, KS

5:02 am CST, Jan 26, 2018 · · 5.3 km deep · released about 49 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Sumner County 27 kmHarper County 31 kmKingman County 41 kmSedgwick County 47 kmGrant County 61 kmReno County 74 kmKay County 80 kmBarber County 82 kmCowley 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
5:02 am CST on 26 January 2018 ()
Where
13 km (8 mi) west-southwest of Conway Springs, KS · earthquakes near Conway Springs
Magnitude
M 2.1 (ml)
Depth
5.3 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Sumner County, 27 km ESE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3206 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 30 km (19 mi) from the epicentre. In Conway Springs, 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: 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 49 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 310,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 220,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 19× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 49 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 37.3335, -97.7695. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Sumner County, KS 27 km (17 mi) ESE earthquakes near Sumner County
Harper County, KS 31 km (19 mi) WSW earthquakes near Harper County
Kingman County, KS 41 km (26 mi) NW earthquakes near Kingman County
Sedgwick County, KS 47 km (29 mi) NE earthquakes near Sedgwick County
Grant County, OK 61 km (38 mi) S earthquakes near Grant County
Reno County, KS 74 km (46 mi) NNW earthquakes near Reno County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.9 3 km NE of Renfrow, Oklahoma
  2. 2.1 3 km NNE of Renfrow, Oklahoma
  3. 2.5 4 km NE of Renfrow, Oklahoma
  4. 2.1 6 km SSE of Harper, Kansas
  5. 1.7 7 km E of Caldwell, Kansas
  6. 1.6 2 km W of Freeport, Kansas
  7. 1.9 5 km W of Danville, Kansas
  8. 2.1 2 km W of Freeport, Kansas
  9. 1.7 6 km NW of Renfrow, Oklahoma
  10. 2.5 7 km NW of Cheney, Kansas
  11. 1.7 7 km S of Argonia, Kansas
  12. 2.5 Kansas
  13. 3.5 7 km E of Freeport, Kansas
  14. 2.1 2 km N of Anthony, Kansas
  15. 2.7 1 km ENE of Bluff City, 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.