QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.4mb_lg

Earthquake near Beloit, KS

USGS: 12 km NNW of Cawker City, Kansas

8:16 am CDT, Apr 24, 2021 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 120 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Jewell County 28 kmSmith County 32 kmMitchell County 34 kmOsborne County 39 kmWebster County 63 kmLincoln County 67 kmNuckolls County 72 kmCloud County 73 kmRepublic County 74 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
8:16 am CDT on 24 April 2021 ()
Where
36 km (23 mi) WNW of Beloit, KS · earthquakes near Beloit
Magnitude
M 2.4 (mb_lg)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Jewell County, 28 km NE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1913 days ago

A magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 36 km (23 mi) WNW of Beloit, KS, at 8:16 am CDT on 24 April 2021 (13:16 UTC). 1 person has 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: Osborne.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 120 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.4 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 130,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 89,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 7.9× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.4 about 120 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 39.6157, -98.4760. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Jewell County, KS 28 km (17 mi) NE earthquakes near Jewell County
Smith County, KS 32 km (20 mi) NW earthquakes near Smith County
Mitchell County, KS 34 km (21 mi) SE earthquakes near Mitchell County
Osborne County, KS 39 km (24 mi) SW earthquakes near Osborne County
Webster County, NE 63 km (39 mi) N earthquakes near Webster County
Lincoln County, KS 67 km (42 mi) SSE earthquakes near Lincoln County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.5 4 km NNE of Jewell, Kansas
  2. 2.6 5 km WSW of Formoso, Kansas
  3. 2.9 13 km NNE of Luray, Kansas
  4. 2.7 4 km SE of Glen Elder, Kansas
  5. 2.5 1 km NNW of Glen Elder, Kansas
  6. 2.5 1 km NNE of Glen Elder, Kansas
  7. 2.1 0 km N of Glen Elder, Kansas
  8. 2.8 2 km NNE of Glen Elder, Kansas
  9. 2.9 2 km NE of Glen Elder, Kansas
  10. 2.8 0 km NW of Glen Elder, Kansas
  11. 2.7 1 km N of Glen Elder, Kansas
  12. 2.7 0 km WSW of Glen Elder, Kansas
  13. 3.2 0 km SE of Glen Elder, Kansas
  14. 2.6 7 km N of Jewell, Kansas
  15. 2.5 7 km WSW of Formoso, 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.