QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.4mb_lg

Earthquake near Beloit, KS

No earthquake was likely felt in Beloit in the 24 hours to 11:34 am CST (17:34 UTC). The last one was M 5.0, 469 km (291 mi) SSW, at 5:21 am CDT on 23 July 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 499 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Beloit

This page: a magnitude 3.4 earthquake was recorded 33 km (21 mi) north of Beloit, KS, at 11:54 pm CDT on 20 May 2017 (04:54 UTC), 16 km deep. 17 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 7 km ESE of Mankato, Kansas

11:54 pm CDT, May 20, 2017 · · 16 km deep · released about 1.9 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Beloit Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Jewell County 8 kmMitchell County 41 kmRepublic County 42 kmNuckolls County 47 kmCloud County 52 kmSmith County 56 kmWebster County 56 kmThayer County 65 kmOsborne County 71 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
11:54 pm CDT on 20 May 2017 ()
Where
33 km (21 mi) north of Beloit, KS · earthquakes near Beloit
Magnitude
M 3.4 (mb_lg)
Depth
16 km below the surface
Felt
17 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Jewell County, 8 km WNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3381 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 271 km (168 mi) from the epicentre. In Beloit, 33 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: Superior 30 km, intensity III · Beloit 33 km, intensity III · Concordia 46 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1.9 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.4 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 89,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 4,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 2,800× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.4 about 1.9 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 4× more

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 39.7556, -98.1370. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Jewell County, KS 8 km (5 mi) WNW earthquakes near Jewell County
Mitchell County, KS 41 km (25 mi) S earthquakes near Mitchell County
Republic County, KS 42 km (26 mi) ENE earthquakes near Republic County
Nuckolls County, NE 47 km (29 mi) N earthquakes near Nuckolls County
Cloud County, KS 52 km (32 mi) SE earthquakes near Cloud County
Smith County, KS 56 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

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

  1. 2.5 7 km WSW of Formoso, Kansas
  2. 2.6 7 km WSW of Formoso, Kansas
  3. 2.5 9 km WSW of Formoso, Kansas
  4. 2.9 11 km N of Guide Rock, Nebraska
  5. 2.5 11 km E of Cowles, Nebraska
  6. 2.9 11 km E of Cowles, Nebraska
  7. 2.9 8 km E of Cowles, Nebraska
  8. 2.7 5 km WNW of Cawker City, Kansas
  9. 2.6 6 km WNW of Cawker City, Kansas
  10. 3.4 8 km WSW of Superior, Nebraska
  11. 3.8 8 km WSW of Superior, Nebraska
  12. 2.5 13 km N of Cawker City, Kansas
  13. 2.5 11 km WNW of Jewell, Kansas
  14. 2.8 12 km SW of Mankato, Kansas
  15. 2.5 15 km NNW of Cawker City, 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.