QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8ml

Earthquake near Bellaire, KS

USGS: 4 km SE of Bellaire, Kansas

11 km (7 mi) ENE of Wichita, KS

10:24 pm CST, Dec 24, 2020 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 15 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Bellaire Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Sedgwick County 21 kmButler County 35 kmHarvey County 40 kmSumner County 60 kmCowley County 65 kmMarion County 71 kmReno County 78 kmMcPherson County 82 kmKingman County 83 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
10:24 pm CST on 24 December 2020 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) SE of Bellaire, KS · earthquakes near Bellaire
Magnitude
M 1.8 (ml)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
3 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Sedgwick County, 21 km WSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2036 days ago

A magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) SE of Bellaire, KS, at 10:24 pm CST on 24 December 2020 (04:24 UTC). 3 people have reported feeling it to USGS. This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Kechi, Andover, Wichita, Park City, McConnell AFB, Valley Center.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 15 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,000,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 710,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 63× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 15 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 37.7310, -97.2300. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Sedgwick County, KS 21 km (13 mi) WSW earthquakes near Sedgwick County
Butler County, KS 35 km (22 mi) E earthquakes near Butler County
Harvey County, KS 40 km (25 mi) NNW earthquakes near Harvey County
Sumner County, KS 60 km (37 mi) SSW earthquakes near Sumner County
Cowley County, KS 65 km (41 mi) SSE earthquakes near Cowley County
Marion County, KS 71 km (44 mi) N earthquakes near Marion County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.1 4 km SSE of Cheney, Kansas
  2. 2.3 6 km SW of Goddard, Kansas
  3. 2.3 7 km NNE of Rose Hill, Kansas
  4. 2.3 4 km ENE of Eastborough, Kansas
  5. 2.4 9 km NW of Viola, Kansas
  6. 2.5 2 km NW of McConnell AFB, Kansas
  7. 2.3 3 km NE of Cheney, Kansas
  8. 2.1 1 km E of Eastborough, Kansas
  9. 2.0 2 km NNE of Eastborough, Kansas
  10. 2.5 4 km E of Eastborough, Kansas
  11. 2.8 5 km NE of Eastborough, Kansas
  12. 1.9 3 km NE of Eastborough, Kansas
  13. 1.9 4 km NE of Eastborough, Kansas
  14. 2.2 3 km SE of McConnell AFB, Kansas
  15. 2.3 3 km ENE of Eastborough, 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.