QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.9md

Earthquake near Searcy, AR

No earthquake was likely felt in Searcy in the 24 hours to 3:51 am CST (09:51 UTC). The last one was M 2.3, 22 km (13 mi) NNE, at 11:24 am CDT on 22 June 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Searcy

This page: a magnitude 2.9 earthquake was recorded 22 km (13 mi) north of Searcy, AR, at 6:15 am CST on 3 January 2025 (12:15 UTC), less than 1 km deep. 47 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 11 km E of Pangburn, Arkansas

99 km (62 mi) NE of Little Rock, AR

6:15 am CST, Jan 3, 2025 · · 0.1 km deep · released about 630 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N White County 21 kmCleburne County 31 kmIndependence County 36 kmJackson County 48 kmWoodruff County 51 kmStone County 60 kmFaulkner County 65 kmPrairie County 70 kmVan Buren County 74 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
6:15 am CST on 3 January 2025 ()
Where
22 km (13 mi) north of Searcy, AR · earthquakes near Searcy
Magnitude
M 2.9 (md)
Depth
0.1 km below the surface
Felt
47 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
White County, 21 km S
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 604 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 66 km (41 mi) from the epicentre. In Searcy, 22 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Bald Knob, Judsonia, Kensett, Heber Springs, Southside.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 630 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 24,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 17,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.5× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.9 about 630 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 35.4435, -91.7143. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
White County, AR 21 km (13 mi) S earthquakes near White County
Cleburne County, AR 31 km (20 mi) WNW earthquakes near Cleburne County
Independence County, AR 36 km (22 mi) NNE earthquakes near Independence County
Jackson County, AR 48 km (30 mi) ENE earthquakes near Jackson County
Woodruff County, AR 51 km (32 mi) ESE earthquakes near Woodruff County
Stone County, AR 60 km (37 mi) NW earthquakes near Stone County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.1 3 km E of Enola, Arkansas
  2. 2.3 13 km SSW of Pleasant Plains, Arkansas
  3. 2.4 5 km WSW of Southside, Arkansas
  4. 1.8 3 km NNE of Tumbling Shoals, Arkansas
  5. 2.0 11 km S of Pleasant Plains, Arkansas
  6. 2.3 3 km NW of Mount Vernon, Arkansas
  7. 2.2 11 km SSW of Pleasant Plains, Arkansas
  8. 1.9 11 km SSW of Pleasant Plains, Arkansas
  9. 2.2 12 km SSW of Pleasant Plains, Arkansas
  10. 1.9 11 km SSW of Pleasant Plains, Arkansas
  11. 1.9 13 km SSW of Pleasant Plains, Arkansas
  12. 2.1 11 km SW of Pleasant Plains, Arkansas
  13. 1.7 11 km SSW of Pleasant Plains, Arkansas
  14. 2.1 12 km SSW of Pleasant Plains, Arkansas
  15. 2.3 12 km ENE of Pangburn, 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

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.