QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.6mww

Earthquake near Plainville, KS

No earthquake was likely felt in Plainville in the 24 hours to 2:25 am CST (08:25 UTC). The last one was M 2.7, 53 km (33 mi) ESE, at 12:18 pm CDT on 15 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Plainville

This page: a magnitude 4.6 earthquake was recorded 11 km (7 mi) west of Plainville, KS, at 3:50 am CDT on 22 June 2019 (08:50 UTC), 3.0 km deep. 1,219 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 2 km SSE of Zurich, Kansas

3:50 am CDT, Jun 22, 2019 · · 3.0 km deep · released about 120 tons of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Rooks County 17 kmEllis County 35 kmGraham County 42 kmTrego County 50 kmOsborne County 59 kmPhillips County 64 kmRussell County 66 kmNorton County 75 kmRush County 78 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
3:50 am CDT on 22 June 2019 ()
Where
11 km (7 mi) west of Plainville, KS · earthquakes near Plainville
Magnitude
M 4.6 (mww)
Depth
3.0 km below the surface
Felt
1,219 reports · strongest reported intensity V
Measured shaking
intensity VI (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Nearest
Rooks County, 17 km NNE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2315 days ago

This was a light earthquake. It is usually felt clearly nearby and can rattle windows and dishes, but damage is uncommon.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 641 km (398 mi) from the epicentre. In Plainville, 11 km away, the estimate is intensity V (moderate). 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: Plainville 11 km, intensity V · Stockton 28 km, intensity V · Ellis 33 km, intensity IV · Hays 38 km, intensity IV · Hill City 39 km, intensity IV. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 120 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 1,400× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 63× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 45× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.6 about 120 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 250× more

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 (31 mi) since our catalogue begins in 2016. No other earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded this close in that time.

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 39.2160, -99.4259. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Rooks County, KS 17 km (10 mi) NNE earthquakes near Rooks County
Ellis County, KS 35 km (22 mi) SSE earthquakes near Ellis County
Graham County, KS 42 km (26 mi) WNW earthquakes near Graham County
Trego County, KS 50 km (31 mi) SW earthquakes near Trego County
Osborne County, KS 59 km (36 mi) ENE earthquakes near Osborne County
Phillips County, KS 64 km (40 mi) N earthquakes near Phillips County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.5 9 km S of Bogue, Kansas
  2. 2.5 9 km SW of Natoma, Kansas
  3. 2.4 12 km NE of Damar, Kansas
  4. 2.9 7 km N of Hays, Kansas
  5. 2.8 10 km SSW of Stockton, Kansas
  6. 2.8 8 km NNW of Stockton, Kansas
  7. 3.3 7 km NNW of Stockton, Kansas
  8. 2.5 1 km NE of Zurich, Kansas
  9. 2.5 11 km NNE of Stockton, Kansas
  10. 2.6 14 km WSW of Natoma, Kansas
  11. 2.5 3 km NE of Bogue, Kansas
  12. 2.8 16 km S of Hill City, Kansas
  13. 3.0 4 km SE of Paradise, Kansas
  14. 3.0 2 km SW of Zurich, Kansas
  15. 2.7 2 km E of Hill City, 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.