QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.6mb_lg

Earthquake near Arkansas City, KS

No earthquake was likely felt in Arkansas City in the 24 hours to 9:25 am CST (15:25 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 185 km (115 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 Arkansas City

This page: a magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded 31 km (19 mi) west of Arkansas City, KS, at 9:14 pm CST on 7 February 2017 (03:14 UTC), 5.0 km deep. 7 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 2 km ESE of South Haven, Kansas

72 km (45 mi) S of Wichita, KS

9:14 pm CST, Feb 7, 2017 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 240 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Arkansas City Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Sumner County 24 kmKay County 33 kmGrant County 46 kmCowley County 53 kmHarper County 63 kmSedgwick County 72 kmNoble County 74 kmGarfield County 82 kmKingman County 88 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
9:14 pm CST on 7 February 2017 ()
Where
31 km (19 mi) west of Arkansas City, KS · earthquakes near Arkansas City
Magnitude
M 2.6 (mb_lg)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
7 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Sumner County, 24 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3474 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 51 km (32 mi) from the epicentre. In Arkansas City, 31 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.

Likely felt in: Caldwell 20 km, intensity III · Wellington 25 km, intensity II · Blackwell 28 km, intensity II · Belle Plaine 40 km, intensity II · Conway Springs 45 km, intensity II · Ponca City 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 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.0 on 2016-11-25 — 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 37.0400, -97.3819. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Sumner County, KS 24 km (15 mi) NNW earthquakes near Sumner County
Kay County, OK 33 km (20 mi) SE earthquakes near Kay County
Grant County, OK 46 km (28 mi) SW earthquakes near Grant County
Cowley County, KS 53 km (33 mi) ENE earthquakes near Cowley County
Harper County, KS 63 km (39 mi) WNW earthquakes near Harper County
Sedgwick County, KS 72 km (45 mi) N earthquakes near Sedgwick County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.9 10 km W of Belle Plaine, Kansas
  2. 4.1 8 km W of Deer Creek, Oklahoma
  3. 2.3 9 km ESE of Clearwater, Kansas
  4. 2.5 2 km ENE of South Haven, Kansas
  5. 2.1 8 km ESE of Caldwell, Kansas
  6. 1.6 5 km SSE of Freeport, Kansas
  7. 1.8 11 km NNW of Caldwell, Kansas
  8. 1.7 4 km NNW of Mayfield, Kansas
  9. 1.9 5 km SSE of Freeport, Kansas
  10. 2.7 Kansas
  11. 2.0 5 km SSE of Freeport, Kansas
  12. 2.6 5 km SSW of Bluff City, Kansas
  13. 1.5 5 km SE of Freeport, Kansas
  14. 1.5 5 km SE of Freeport, Kansas
  15. 2.8 3 km ENE of South Haven, 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.