Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.6md
Earthquake near Lancaster, KY
No earthquake was likely felt in Lancaster in the 24 hours to 10:26 am EST (15:26 UTC). The last one was M 3.1, 12 km (7 mi) ENE, at 12:47 pm EST on 28 December 2025, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 405 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Lancaster
This page: a magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded 11 km (7 mi) east-northeast of Lancaster, KY, at 5:12 am EDT on 4 August 2023 (09:12 UTC), 17 km deep. 22 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 11 km ENE of Lancaster, Kentucky
41 km (26 mi) S of Lexington-Fayette, KY
- When
- 5:12 am EDT on 4 August 2023 ()
- Where
- 11 km (7 mi) east-northeast of Lancaster, KY · earthquakes near Lancaster
- Kentucky today
- every earthquake in Kentucky in the last 24 hours
- Magnitude
- M 2.6 (md)
- Depth
- 17 km below the surface
- Felt
- 22 reports · strongest reported intensity III
- Nearest
- Garrard County, 8 km WSW
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1131 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Lancaster, KY
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Lancaster, KY. 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 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 50 km (31 mi) from the epicentre. In Lancaster, 11 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.
Likely felt in: Lexington 36 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 270 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.6 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 57,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 40,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 3.6× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.6 about 270 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 37.6687, -84.4688. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garrard County, KY | 8 km (5 mi) | WSW | earthquakes near Garrard County |
| Madison County, KY | 18 km (11 mi) | ENE | earthquakes near Madison County |
| Jessamine County, KY | 25 km (15 mi) | NNW | earthquakes near Jessamine County |
| Lincoln County, KY | 29 km (18 mi) | SW | earthquakes near Lincoln County |
| Boyle County, KY | 36 km (22 mi) | W | earthquakes near Boyle County |
| Rockcastle County, KY | 37 km (23 mi) | SSE | earthquakes near Rockcastle County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
2 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
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.