Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.1md
Earthquake near West Plains, MO
No earthquake was likely felt in West Plains in the 24 hours to 2:16 pm CST (20:16 UTC). The last one was M 2.2, 33 km (21 mi) S, at 9:10 pm CST on 1 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near West Plains
This page: a magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 34 km (21 mi) south-southwest of West Plains, MO, at 11:49 am CST on 20 December 2020 (17:49 UTC), 5.0 km deep. 3 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 4 km N of Viola, Arkansas
- When
- 11:49 am CST on 20 December 2020 ()
- Where
- 34 km (21 mi) south-southwest of West Plains, MO · earthquakes near West Plains
- Magnitude
- M 2.1 (md)
- Depth
- 5.0 km below the surface
- Felt
- 3 reports · strongest reported intensity II
- Nearest
- Fulton County, 16 km ESE
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2083 days ago
Earthquake alerts for West Plains, MO
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near West Plains, MO. No account or email needed.
Alerts are on for .
Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
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 West Plains, 34 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.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 51 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.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 300,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 210,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 19× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.1 about 51 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 36.4388, -91.9838. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fulton County, AR | 16 km (10 mi) | ESE | earthquakes near Fulton County |
| Baxter County, AR | 36 km (22 mi) | WSW | earthquakes near Baxter County |
| Howell County, MO | 38 km (24 mi) | NNE | earthquakes near Howell County |
| Izard County, AR | 39 km (24 mi) | S | earthquakes near Izard County |
| Ozark County, MO | 48 km (30 mi) | WNW | earthquakes near Ozark County |
| Sharp County, AR | 55 km (34 mi) | ESE | earthquakes near Sharp County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
16 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 2.2 7 km NNW of Salem, Arkansas
- 2.1 2 km E of Mountain Home, Arkansas
- 1.9 9 km SW of Koshkonong, Missouri
- 1.9 10 km NNE of Salem, Arkansas
- 2.3 11 km NNE of Salem, Arkansas
- 2.0 4 km N of Evening Shade, Arkansas
- 2.2 2 km WSW of Gainesville, Missouri
- 2.1 4 km N of Midway, Arkansas
- 2.2 7 km ENE of West Plains, Missouri
- 1.8 11 km WSW of Melbourne, Arkansas
- 2.2 6 km WNW of West Plains, Missouri
- 2.3 4 km SE of Franklin, Arkansas
- 2.2 4 km SE of Ash Flat, Arkansas
- 2.1 7 km ENE of Midway, Arkansas
- 2.1 5 km SE of Ash Flat, Arkansas
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
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.