QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.9mb_lg

Earthquake near Belle Plaine, KS

No earthquake was likely felt in Belle Plaine in the 24 hours to 1:25 pm CST (19:25 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 210 km (130 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 Belle Plaine

This page: a magnitude 2.9 earthquake was recorded 12 km (8 mi) west of Belle Plaine, KS, at 8:18 am CDT on 17 September 2016 (13:18 UTC), 5.0 km deep. 13 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 12 km W of Belle Plaine, Kansas

32 km (20 mi) SSW of Wichita, KS

8:18 am CDT, Sep 17, 2016 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 680 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Belle Plaine Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Sumner County 20 kmSedgwick County 30 kmCowley County 55 kmHarper County 62 kmButler County 65 kmKingman County 66 kmKay County 71 kmHarvey County 71 kmGrant County 76 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
8:18 am CDT on 17 September 2016 ()
Where
12 km (8 mi) west of Belle Plaine, KS · earthquakes near Belle Plaine
Magnitude
M 2.9 (mb_lg)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
13 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Sumner County, 20 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3621 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 67 km (42 mi) from the epicentre. In Belle Plaine, 12 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: Belle Plaine 12 km, intensity III · Wellington 17 km, intensity III · Haysville 18 km, intensity III · Conway Springs 20 km, intensity III · Derby 20 km, intensity III · Wichita 32 km, intensity III · Cheney 40 km, intensity II · Andover 42 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 680 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 22,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 16,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.9 about 680 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 37.4093, -97.4210. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Sumner County, KS 20 km (13 mi) SSW earthquakes near Sumner County
Sedgwick County, KS 30 km (19 mi) N earthquakes near Sedgwick County
Cowley County, KS 55 km (34 mi) ESE earthquakes near Cowley County
Harper County, KS 62 km (39 mi) WSW earthquakes near Harper County
Butler County, KS 65 km (41 mi) NE earthquakes near Butler County
Kingman County, KS 66 km (41 mi) WNW earthquakes near Kingman County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 4 km SE of Caldwell, Kansas
  2. 2.3 4 km ESE of Caldwell, Kansas
  3. 1.5 3 km NNW of Freeport, Kansas
  4. 1.6 6 km SSE of Freeport, Kansas
  5. 1.7 6 km SE of Freeport, Kansas
  6. 2.7 6 km SE of Freeport, Kansas
  7. 3.1 7 km SSE of Milton, Kansas
  8. 2.9 4 km E of Milton, Kansas
  9. 1.9 6 km SSE of Freeport, Kansas
  10. 1.6 6 km SSE of Freeport, Kansas
  11. 2.8 6 km SE of Freeport, Kansas
  12. 1.8 4 km SSW of Freeport, Kansas
  13. 2.2 4 km ESE of Caldwell, Kansas
  14. 1.8 4 km ESE of Caldwell, Kansas
  15. 1.8 Kansas

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.