QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7ml

Earthquake near Caldwell, KS

No earthquake was likely felt in Caldwell in the 24 hours to 11:00 am CST (17:00 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 1.7 earthquake was recorded 9 km (6 mi) southwest of Caldwell, KS, at 12:52 am CST on 7 February 2018 (06:52 UTC), 5.5 km deep.

USGS: 7 km NNW of Renfrow, Oklahoma

84 km (52 mi) SSW of Wichita, KS

12:52 am CST, Feb 7, 2018 · · 5.5 km deep · released about 11 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Grant County 24 kmSumner County 33 kmHarper County 40 kmKay County 52 kmAlfalfa County 63 kmGarfield County 68 kmKingman County 75 kmNoble County 78 kmSedgwick 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
12:52 am CST on 7 February 2018 ()
Where
9 km (6 mi) southwest of Caldwell, KS · earthquakes near Caldwell
Oklahoma today
every earthquake in Oklahoma in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.7 (ml)
Depth
5.5 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Grant County, 24 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3199 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 12 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Caldwell, 9 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 9 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 11 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,300,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 930,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 83× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 11 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 7,400 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 36.9850, -97.6905. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Grant County, OK 24 km (15 mi) SSW earthquakes near Grant County
Sumner County, KS 33 km (21 mi) NNE earthquakes near Sumner County
Harper County, KS 40 km (25 mi) NW earthquakes near Harper County
Kay County, OK 52 km (32 mi) ESE earthquakes near Kay County
Alfalfa County, OK 63 km (39 mi) WSW earthquakes near Alfalfa County
Garfield County, OK 68 km (42 mi) S earthquakes near Garfield 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. 1.9 5 km W of Danville, Kansas
  2. 2.1 2 km W of Freeport, Kansas
  3. 1.7 6 km NW of Renfrow, Oklahoma
  4. 2.9 4 km WNW of Medford, Oklahoma
  5. 1.7 7 km S of Argonia, Kansas
  6. 2.5 Kansas
  7. 3.5 7 km E of Freeport, Kansas
  8. 2.1 2 km N of Anthony, Kansas
  9. 2.3 7 km E of Nescatunga, Oklahoma
  10. 2.7 1 km ENE of Bluff City, Kansas
  11. 1.6 7 km ESE of Freeport, Kansas
  12. 2.6 1 km SE of Renfrow, Oklahoma
  13. 2.6 7 km NNW of Lamont, Oklahoma
  14. 2.4 6 km NNE of Wakita, Oklahoma
  15. 2.2 8 km WSW of Hunnewell, 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.