QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.6mb_lg

Earthquake near Beloit, KS

USGS: 5 km ESE of Mankato, Kansas

3:16 pm CDT, Apr 7, 2017 · · 14 km deep · released about 240 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Jewell County 6 kmMitchell County 41 kmRepublic County 43 kmNuckolls County 47 kmCloud County 53 kmSmith County 54 kmWebster County 55 kmThayer County 66 kmOsborne County 70 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
3:16 pm CDT on 7 April 2017 ()
Where
34 km (21 mi) N of Beloit, KS · earthquakes near Beloit
Magnitude
M 2.6 (mb_lg)
Depth
14 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Jewell County, 6 km WNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3389 days ago

A magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded 34 km (21 mi) N of Beloit, KS, at 3:16 pm CDT on 7 April 2017 (20:16 UTC). This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Superior.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 240 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.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 63,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 45,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.6 about 240 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 39.7609, -98.1513. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Jewell County, KS 6 km (4 mi) WNW earthquakes near Jewell County
Mitchell County, KS 41 km (26 mi) S earthquakes near Mitchell County
Republic County, KS 43 km (27 mi) E earthquakes near Republic County
Nuckolls County, NE 47 km (29 mi) N earthquakes near Nuckolls County
Cloud County, KS 53 km (33 mi) SE earthquakes near Cloud County
Smith County, KS 54 km (34 mi) W earthquakes near Smith 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. 2.7 11 km SSW of Lawrence, Nebraska
  2. 2.7 5 km WNW of Cawker City, Kansas
  3. 2.6 6 km WNW of Cawker City, Kansas
  4. 3.4 8 km WSW of Superior, Nebraska
  5. 3.8 8 km WSW of Superior, Nebraska
  6. 2.5 13 km N of Cawker City, Kansas
  7. 2.5 11 km WNW of Jewell, Kansas
  8. 2.8 12 km SW of Mankato, Kansas
  9. 2.5 15 km NNW of Cawker City, Kansas
  10. 2.6 9 km W of Webber, Kansas
  11. 3.1 11 km W of Webber, Kansas
  12. 2.6 12 km NNW of Cawker City, Kansas
  13. 2.6 13 km NNE of Downs, Kansas
  14. 2.8 10 km NNW of Cawker City, Kansas
  15. 2.6 11 km SE of Esbon, 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.