QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.6mb_lg

Earthquake near Broken Bow, NE

USGS: 8 km SE of Arnold, Nebraska

6:39 pm CDT, Apr 15, 2018 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 240 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Broken Bow Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Custer County 33 kmLogan County 33 kmDawson County 61 kmLincoln County 63 kmBlaine County 64 kmThomas County 64 kmLoup County 78 kmMcPherson County 89 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
6:39 pm CDT on 15 April 2018 ()
Where
41 km (25 mi) W of Broken Bow, NE · earthquakes near Broken Bow
Magnitude
M 2.6 (mb_lg)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
19 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Custer County, 33 km E
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3010 days ago

A magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded 41 km (25 mi) W of Broken Bow, NE, at 6:39 pm CDT on 15 April 2018 (23:39 UTC). 19 people have reported feeling it to USGS. This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

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

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 41.3643, -100.1228. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Custer County, NE 33 km (21 mi) E earthquakes near Custer County
Logan County, NE 33 km (21 mi) NW earthquakes near Logan County
Dawson County, NE 61 km (38 mi) SSE earthquakes near Dawson County
Lincoln County, NE 63 km (39 mi) WSW earthquakes near Lincoln County
Blaine County, NE 64 km (40 mi) N earthquakes near Blaine County
Thomas County, NE 64 km (40 mi) NNW earthquakes near Thomas County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 3.0 10 km S of Arnold, Nebraska
  2. 2.1 5 km S of Arnold, Nebraska
  3. 2.6 8 km SE of Arnold, Nebraska
  4. 2.5 13 km WNW of Callaway, Nebraska
  5. 2.6 7 km WSW of Arnold, Nebraska
  6. 2.6 6 km SE of Arnold, Nebraska
  7. 2.7 4 km E of Arnold, Nebraska
  8. 3.6 7 km SE of Arnold, Nebraska
  9. 2.0 4 km SE of Arnold, Nebraska
  10. 2.8 11 km SE of Arnold, Nebraska
  11. 2.4 7 km S of Arnold, Nebraska
  12. 2.4 8 km SSE of Arnold, Nebraska
  13. 3.6 5 km ESE of Arnold, Nebraska
  14. 2.7 8 km SE of Arnold, Nebraska
  15. 3.8 2 km SE 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.