QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.8mb_lg

Earthquake near Beloit, KS

USGS: 11 km SSE of Esbon, Kansas

11:05 pm CST, Jan 13, 2021 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 480 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Beloit Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Jewell County 14 kmSmith County 36 kmMitchell County 40 kmWebster County 51 kmOsborne County 54 kmNuckolls County 57 kmRepublic County 63 kmCloud County 68 kmFranklin County 71 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
11:05 pm CST on 13 January 2021 ()
Where
38 km (24 mi) NW of Beloit, KS · earthquakes near Beloit
Magnitude
M 2.8 (mb_lg)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Jewell County, 14 km ENE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2022 days ago

A magnitude 2.8 earthquake was recorded 38 km (24 mi) NW of Beloit, KS, at 11:05 pm CST on 13 January 2021 (05:05 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.

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 39.7277, -98.3762. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Jewell County, KS 14 km (9 mi) ENE earthquakes near Jewell County
Smith County, KS 36 km (22 mi) W earthquakes near Smith County
Mitchell County, KS 40 km (25 mi) SSE earthquakes near Mitchell County
Webster County, NE 51 km (32 mi) NNW earthquakes near Webster County
Osborne County, KS 54 km (34 mi) SW earthquakes near Osborne County
Nuckolls County, NE 57 km (36 mi) NNE earthquakes near Nuckolls County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.9 7 km E of Cowles, Nebraska
  2. 2.8 4 km ESE of Cowles, Nebraska
  3. 2.5 6 km ESE of Cowles, Nebraska
  4. 2.6 8 km N of Guide Rock, Nebraska
  5. 2.6 9 km E of Cowles, Nebraska
  6. 2.3 3 km S of Cowles, Nebraska
  7. 2.5 4 km NNE of Jewell, Kansas
  8. 2.6 15 km SSW of Riverton, Nebraska
  9. 2.6 5 km WSW of Formoso, Kansas
  10. 2.7 4 km SE of Glen Elder, Kansas
  11. 2.5 1 km NNW of Glen Elder, Kansas
  12. 2.5 1 km NNE of Glen Elder, Kansas
  13. 2.1 0 km N of Glen Elder, Kansas
  14. 2.8 2 km NNE of Glen Elder, Kansas
  15. 2.9 2 km NE of Glen Elder, 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.