QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.8mb

Earthquake near Salina, KS

No earthquake was likely felt in Salina in the 24 hours to 2:26 am CST (08:26 UTC). The last one was M 2.6, 10 km (6 mi) SSE, at 3:40 pm CDT on 8 October 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Salina

This page: a magnitude 3.8 earthquake was recorded 20 km (13 mi) southeast of Salina, KS, at 9:58 pm CDT on 3 October 2021 (02:58 UTC), 5.0 km deep. 138 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 4 km WSW of Gypsum, Kansas

9:58 pm CDT, Oct 3, 2021 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 7.6 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Salina Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Saline County 19 kmDickinson County 34 kmMcPherson County 36 kmMarion County 49 kmOttawa County 52 kmEllsworth County 63 kmGeary County 71 kmHarvey County 71 kmMorris County 72 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
9:58 pm CDT on 3 October 2021 ()
Where
20 km (13 mi) southeast of Salina, KS · earthquakes near Salina
Magnitude
M 3.8 (mb)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
138 reports · strongest reported intensity VI
Measured shaking
intensity IV (ShakeMap)
Nearest
Saline County, 19 km NW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1796 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 401 km (249 mi) from the epicentre. In Salina, 20 km away, the estimate is intensity IV (light). 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: Salina 20 km, intensity IV · Herington 47 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 7.6 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 22,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 710× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.8 about 7.6 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 16× 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

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 38.6884, -97.4787. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Saline County, KS 19 km (12 mi) NW earthquakes near Saline County
Dickinson County, KS 34 km (21 mi) NE earthquakes near Dickinson County
McPherson County, KS 36 km (22 mi) SSW earthquakes near McPherson County
Marion County, KS 49 km (30 mi) SE earthquakes near Marion County
Ottawa County, KS 52 km (32 mi) NNW earthquakes near Ottawa County
Ellsworth County, KS 63 km (39 mi) W earthquakes near Ellsworth County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.6 6 km E of Assaria, Kansas
  2. 2.3 11 km N of Hope, Kansas
  3. 2.8 7 km SW of Gypsum, Kansas
  4. 3.3 6 km N of Bennington, Kansas
  5. 2.8 7 km SW of Woodbine, Kansas
  6. 2.5 6 km E of New Cambria, Kansas
  7. 3.0 8 km NNW of Roxbury, Kansas
  8. 2.4 5 km NNE of Hope, Kansas
  9. 2.5 5 km W of Woodbine, Kansas
  10. 2.7 6 km E of Assaria, Kansas
  11. 2.6 7 km WSW of Gypsum, Kansas
  12. 3.0 7 km SW of Gypsum, Kansas
  13. 2.3 6 km WSW of Woodbine, Kansas
  14. 2.2 8 km WSW of Woodbine, Kansas
  15. 2.4 7 km ENE of Hope, 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.