QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.7ml

Earthquake near Caldwell, KS

No earthquake was likely felt in Caldwell in the 24 hours to 10:11 am CST (16:11 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 163 km (101 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 Caldwell

This page: a magnitude 2.7 earthquake was recorded 13 km (8 mi) north-northwest of Caldwell, KS, at 5:34 am CDT on 8 April 2017 (10:34 UTC), 5.6 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 12 km NNW of Caldwell, Kansas

68 km (42 mi) SSW of Wichita, KS

5:34 am CDT, Apr 8, 2017 · · 5.6 km deep · released about 340 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Sumner County 20 kmHarper County 35 kmGrant County 40 kmKay County 59 kmKingman County 62 kmSedgwick County 64 kmAlfalfa County 73 kmCowley County 75 kmGarfield County 85 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
5:34 am CDT on 8 April 2017 ()
Where
13 km (8 mi) north-northwest of Caldwell, KS · earthquakes near Caldwell
Magnitude
M 2.7 (ml)
Depth
5.6 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Sumner County, 20 km NE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3428 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 56 km (35 mi) from the epicentre. In Caldwell, 13 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: Caldwell 13 km, intensity III · Conway Springs 29 km, intensity II · Wellington 31 km, intensity II · Anthony 32 km, intensity II · Belle Plaine 45 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 340 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 45,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 32,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 2.8× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.7 about 340 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.1 on 2017-03-29 — about 130 times the energy of this one.

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 37.1345, -97.6753. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Sumner County, KS 20 km (12 mi) NE earthquakes near Sumner County
Harper County, KS 35 km (22 mi) W earthquakes near Harper County
Grant County, OK 40 km (25 mi) SSW earthquakes near Grant County
Kay County, OK 59 km (37 mi) SE earthquakes near Kay County
Kingman County, KS 62 km (39 mi) NW earthquakes near Kingman County
Sedgwick County, KS 64 km (40 mi) NNE earthquakes near Sedgwick County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.2 11 km SSE of Milan, Kansas
  2. 3.7 3 km NNW of Freeport, Kansas
  3. 1.5 9 km W of Bluff City, Kansas
  4. 1.6 9 km W of Bluff City, Kansas
  5. 2.8 10 km W of Lamont, Oklahoma
  6. 2.2 2 km SE of Bluff City, Kansas
  7. 2.6 10 km W of Lamont, Oklahoma
  8. 2.3 4 km SE of Freeport, Kansas
  9. 2.7 9 km W of Lamont, Oklahoma
  10. 3.3 10 km W of Lamont, Oklahoma
  11. 1.9 3 km NNW of Freeport, Kansas
  12. 2.0 6 km SSE of Bluff City, Kansas
  13. 2.2 9 km W of Bluff City, Kansas
  14. 1.7 6 km SSE of Bluff City, Kansas
  15. 2.2 8 km SE of Harper, 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.