QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.8ml

Earthquake near Chapman, KS

USGS: 4 km SSE of Chapman, Kansas

45 km (28 mi) SW of Manhattan, KS · 141 km (88 mi) NNE of Wichita, KS

4:44 pm CDT, Oct 25, 2020 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 480 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Dickinson County 15 kmGeary County 22 kmMorris County 41 kmRiley County 47 kmClay County 48 kmSaline County 58 kmOttawa County 61 kmMarion County 64 kmWabaunsee County 69 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
4:44 pm CDT on 25 October 2020 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) SSE of Chapman, KS · earthquakes near Chapman
Magnitude
M 2.8 (ml)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity I
Nearest
Dickinson County, 15 km WSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2092 days ago

A magnitude 2.8 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) SSE of Chapman, KS, at 4:44 pm CDT on 25 October 2020 (21:44 UTC). 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS. This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Abilene, Junction City, Grandview Plaza, Fort Riley North, Herington.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 480 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 32,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 22,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 2× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.8 about 480 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 38.9301, -97.0028. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Dickinson County, KS 15 km (9 mi) WSW earthquakes near Dickinson County
Geary County, KS 22 km (14 mi) ENE earthquakes near Geary County
Morris County, KS 41 km (25 mi) SE earthquakes near Morris County
Riley County, KS 47 km (29 mi) NNE earthquakes near Riley County
Clay County, KS 48 km (30 mi) NNW earthquakes near Clay County
Saline County, KS 58 km (36 mi) WSW earthquakes near Saline County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.5 6 km E of New Cambria, Kansas
  2. 2.4 Kansas
  3. 2.4 5 km NNE of Hope, Kansas
  4. 2.5 5 km W of Woodbine, Kansas
  5. 2.3 6 km WSW of Woodbine, Kansas
  6. 2.2 8 km WSW of Woodbine, Kansas
  7. 2.4 7 km ENE of Hope, Kansas
  8. 2.5 6 km ENE of Hope, Kansas
  9. 2.5 5 km WSW of Gypsum, Kansas
  10. 2.4 6 km SW of Woodbine, Kansas
  11. 2.8 4 km SW of Gypsum, Kansas
  12. 3.3 5 km SSW of Gypsum, Kansas
  13. 4.0 1 km SSW of Gypsum, Kansas
  14. 2.5 6 km SSW of Gypsum, Kansas
  15. 3.0 5 km WSW of Gypsum, 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.