QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.9mb_lg

Earthquake near Belle Plaine, KS

No earthquake was likely felt in Belle Plaine in the 24 hours to 11:35 am CST (17:35 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 210 km (130 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 Belle Plaine

This page: a magnitude 2.9 earthquake was recorded 12 km (7 mi) west of Belle Plaine, KS, at 12:15 am CDT on 5 August 2017 (05:15 UTC), 5.0 km deep. 29 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 11 km W of Belle Plaine, Kansas

32 km (20 mi) S of Wichita, KS

12:15 am CDT, Aug 5, 2017 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 680 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Belle Plaine Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Sumner County 20 kmSedgwick County 31 kmCowley County 54 kmHarper County 63 kmButler County 65 kmKingman County 67 kmKay County 70 kmHarvey County 72 kmGrant County 77 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
12:15 am CDT on 5 August 2017 ()
Where
12 km (7 mi) west of Belle Plaine, KS · earthquakes near Belle Plaine
Magnitude
M 2.9 (mb_lg)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
29 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Sumner County, 20 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2428 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 67 km (42 mi) from the epicentre. In Belle Plaine, 12 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: Belle Plaine 12 km, intensity III · Wellington 16 km, intensity III · Haysville 18 km, intensity III · Derby 20 km, intensity III · Conway Springs 21 km, intensity III · Wichita 32 km, intensity III · Cheney 41 km, intensity II · Andover 42 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 680 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 22,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 16,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.9 about 680 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 37.4074, -97.4109. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Sumner County, KS 20 km (13 mi) SSW earthquakes near Sumner County
Sedgwick County, KS 31 km (19 mi) N earthquakes near Sedgwick County
Cowley County, KS 54 km (34 mi) ESE earthquakes near Cowley County
Harper County, KS 63 km (39 mi) WSW earthquakes near Harper County
Butler County, KS 65 km (40 mi) NE earthquakes near Butler County
Kingman County, KS 67 km (41 mi) WNW earthquakes near Kingman County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.3 3 km SSE of Cheney, Kansas
  2. 2.4 4 km SSE of Cheney, Kansas
  3. 3.4 7 km S of Cheney, Kansas
  4. 1.6 6 km N of Argonia, Kansas
  5. 2.0 1 km NNW of Freeport, Kansas
  6. 3.0 2 km WSW of Mayfield, Kansas
  7. 2.1 8 km SSE of Mayfield, Kansas
  8. 1.9 8 km N of Caldwell, Kansas
  9. 1.5 8 km SSE of Mayfield, Kansas
  10. 1.6 8 km SSE of Mayfield, Kansas
  11. 1.6 8 km SSE of Mayfield, Kansas
  12. 2.0 4 km NE of Mayfield, Kansas
  13. 2.1 8 km SSE of Mayfield, Kansas
  14. 1.6 8 km SSE of Mayfield, Kansas
  15. 1.9 11 km N of Caldwell, 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.