QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1ml

Earthquake near Broken Bow, NE

No earthquake was likely felt in Broken Bow in the 24 hours to 7:17 am CST (13:17 UTC). The last one was M 5.0, 622 km (387 mi) S, at 5:21 am CDT on 23 July 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 499 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Broken Bow

This page: a magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 45 km (28 mi) west of Broken Bow, NE, at 8:34 pm CST on 11 November 2018 (02:34 UTC), 5.0 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 5 km S of Arnold, Nebraska

8:34 pm CST, Nov 11, 2018 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 43 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Logan County 29 kmCuster County 38 kmLincoln County 59 kmThomas County 60 kmBlaine County 64 kmDawson County 64 kmLoup County 80 kmMcPherson County 84 kmFrontier County 96 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
8:34 pm CST on 11 November 2018 ()
Where
45 km (28 mi) west of Broken Bow, NE · earthquakes near Broken Bow
Magnitude
M 2.1 (ml)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Logan County, 29 km NW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2843 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 28 km (17 mi) from the epicentre. In Broken Bow, 45 km away, the estimate is intensity II (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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 43 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 350,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 250,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 22× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 43 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 2018-06-30 — about 1,000 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 41.3765, -100.1820. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Logan County, NE 29 km (18 mi) NW earthquakes near Logan County
Custer County, NE 38 km (24 mi) E earthquakes near Custer County
Lincoln County, NE 59 km (37 mi) SW earthquakes near Lincoln County
Thomas County, NE 60 km (38 mi) NNW earthquakes near Thomas County
Blaine County, NE 64 km (40 mi) NNE earthquakes near Blaine County
Dawson County, NE 64 km (40 mi) SSE earthquakes near Dawson County

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

Aftershocks so far

1 earthquake has been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 3.0 10 km S of Arnold, Nebraska

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.