QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.4md

Earthquake near Maysville, KY

No earthquake was likely felt in Maysville in the 24 hours to 11:52 am EST (16:52 UTC). The last one was M 2.2, 24 km (15 mi) E, at 10:46 pm EST on 26 February 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Maysville

This page: a magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 15 km (9 mi) south-southwest of Maysville, KY, at 10:30 pm EST on 23 February 2016 (03:30 UTC), 8.5 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 1 km NE of Mays Lick, Kentucky

77 km (48 mi) NE of Lexington-Fayette, KY

10:30 pm EST, Feb 23, 2016 · · 8.5 km deep · released about 120 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Mason County 7 kmRobertson County 21 kmFleming County 21 kmNicholas County 27 kmBracken County 30 kmLewis County 40 kmBath County 42 kmHarrison County 45 kmBrown County 45 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
10:30 pm EST on 23 February 2016 ()
Where
15 km (9 mi) south-southwest of Maysville, KY · earthquakes near Maysville
Kentucky today
every earthquake in Kentucky in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.4 (md)
Depth
8.5 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Mason County, 7 km N
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1562 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 41 km (25 mi) from the epicentre. In Maysville, 15 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Flemingsburg, Aberdeen, Ripley, Carlisle.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 120 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.4 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 130,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 89,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 7.9× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.4 about 120 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 lists one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.0 2 km SW of Sharpsburg, Kentucky · 39 km SSW of this epicentre

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 38.5273, -83.8283. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Mason County, KY 7 km (5 mi) N earthquakes near Mason County
Robertson County, KY 21 km (13 mi) W earthquakes near Robertson County
Fleming County, KY 21 km (13 mi) SSE earthquakes near Fleming County
Nicholas County, KY 27 km (17 mi) SW earthquakes near Nicholas County
Bracken County, KY 30 km (19 mi) NW earthquakes near Bracken County
Lewis County, KY 40 km (25 mi) E earthquakes near Lewis County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 15 km E of Flemingsburg, Kentucky
  2. 2.2 2 km SSE of Concord, Kentucky
  3. 2.2 7 km WSW of Vanceburg, Kentucky
  4. 2.4 8 km SSE of Flemingsburg, Kentucky
  5. 2.4 6 km SSE of Georgetown, Ohio
  6. 2.2 3 km SSW of Bentonville, Ohio
  7. 2.5 3 km SW of Old Washington, Kentucky
  8. 2.2 20 km SSW of Vanceburg, Kentucky
  9. 2.1 3 km SE of Ripley, Ohio
  10. 3.0 2 km E of Manchester, Ohio
  11. 2.1 10 km S of Concord, Kentucky
  12. 1.8 13 km ESE of Flemingsburg, Kentucky
  13. 1.8 11 km SE of Maysville, Kentucky
  14. 2.5 5 km NW of Russellville, Ohio
  15. 2.0 6 km SSE of Sardis, Kentucky

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.