QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3mb_lg

Earthquake near Cheney, KS

No earthquake was likely felt in Cheney in the 24 hours to 3:36 pm CST (21:36 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 226 km (140 mi) S, at 5:53 am CST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 23 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Cheney

This page: a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) south-southeast of Cheney, KS, at 2:45 pm CDT on 2 September 2017 (19:45 UTC), 5.0 km deep. 3 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 3 km SSE of Cheney, Kansas

38 km (24 mi) WSW of Wichita, KS

2:45 pm CDT, Sep 2, 2017 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 85 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Sedgwick County 28 kmKingman County 34 kmReno County 47 kmSumner County 48 kmHarper County 54 kmHarvey County 57 kmButler County 83 kmPratt County 86 kmMcPherson 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
2:45 pm CDT on 2 September 2017 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) south-southeast of Cheney, KS · earthquakes near Cheney
Magnitude
M 2.3 (mb_lg)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
3 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Sedgwick County, 28 km ENE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1557 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 37 km (23 mi) from the epicentre. In Cheney, 3 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: Cheney 3 km, intensity III · Conway Springs 26 km, intensity II · Haysville 37 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 85 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 180,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 130,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 11× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.3 about 85 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 37.6070, -97.7639. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Sedgwick County, KS 28 km (17 mi) ENE earthquakes near Sedgwick County
Kingman County, KS 34 km (21 mi) W earthquakes near Kingman County
Reno County, KS 47 km (29 mi) NW earthquakes near Reno County
Sumner County, KS 48 km (30 mi) SSE earthquakes near Sumner County
Harper County, KS 54 km (33 mi) SSW earthquakes near Harper County
Harvey County, KS 57 km (35 mi) NNE earthquakes near Harvey 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. 2.1 5 km E of Harper, Kansas
  2. 1.8 5 km E of Harper, Kansas
  3. 1.5 5 km E of Harper, Kansas
  4. 2.8 5 km E of Harper, Kansas
  5. 1.5 5 km E of Harper, Kansas
  6. 1.7 7 km N of Argonia, Kansas
  7. 1.6 2 km W of Freeport, Kansas
  8. 2.5 10 km S of Spivey, Kansas
  9. 2.8 10 km S of Spivey, Kansas
  10. 3.2 9 km S of Spivey, Kansas
  11. 1.8 7 km N of Argonia, Kansas
  12. 1.7 5 km E of Harper, Kansas
  13. 2.1 2 km W of Freeport, Kansas
  14. 2.7 2 km W of Freeport, Kansas
  15. 2.6 5 km ESE of Harper, 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.