QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9ml

Earthquake near Caldwell, KS

No earthquake was likely felt in Caldwell in the 24 hours to 11:40 pm CST (05:40 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 1.9 earthquake was recorded 10 km (6 mi) northeast of Caldwell, KS, at 3:55 am CDT on 30 June 2019 (08:55 UTC), 4.5 km deep.

USGS: 9 km NE of Caldwell, Kansas

68 km (43 mi) SSW of Wichita, KS

3:55 am CDT, Jun 30, 2019 · · 4.5 km deep · released about 21 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Sumner County 16 kmGrant County 41 kmKay County 46 kmHarper County 49 kmCowley County 63 kmSedgwick County 66 kmKingman County 75 kmAlfalfa County 82 kmNoble 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
3:55 am CDT on 30 June 2019 ()
Where
10 km (6 mi) northeast of Caldwell, KS · earthquakes near Caldwell
Magnitude
M 1.9 (ml)
Depth
4.5 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Sumner County, 16 km N
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2690 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 20 km (12 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 21 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 730,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 520,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 46× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.9 about 21 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 4.4 on 2019-05-17 — about 5,800 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 37.0918, -97.5242. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Sumner County, KS 16 km (10 mi) N earthquakes near Sumner County
Grant County, OK 41 km (26 mi) SW earthquakes near Grant County
Kay County, OK 46 km (28 mi) SE earthquakes near Kay County
Harper County, KS 49 km (31 mi) WNW earthquakes near Harper County
Cowley County, KS 63 km (39 mi) ENE earthquakes near Cowley County
Sedgwick County, KS 66 km (41 mi) N earthquakes near Sedgwick County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 3.0 8 km N of Caldwell, Kansas
  2. 3.3 11 km SW of Hunnewell, Kansas
  3. 3.2 10 km SW of Hunnewell, Kansas
  4. 2.2 9 km ESE of Jefferson, Oklahoma
  5. 1.8 3 km SSW of Renfrow, Oklahoma
  6. 1.6 3 km SE of Manchester, Oklahoma
  7. 2.1 3 km N of Medford, Oklahoma
  8. 1.8 5 km ESE of Medford, Oklahoma
  9. 1.7 5 km ESE of Medford, Oklahoma
  10. 1.6 3 km N of Medford, Oklahoma
  11. 3.4 9 km W of Lamont, Oklahoma
  12. 1.7 8 km E of Jefferson, Oklahoma
  13. 2.8 8 km W of Bluff City, Kansas
  14. 2.2 10 km SW of Norwich, Kansas
  15. 2.0 7 km WNW of Wakita, 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.