QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3mb_lg

Earthquake near Junction City, KS

No earthquake was likely felt in Junction City in the 24 hours to 7:34 am CST (13:34 UTC). The last one was M 5.0, 505 km (314 mi) SW, at 5:21 am CDT on 23 July 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 499 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Junction City

This page: a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded 33 km (21 mi) south-southwest of Junction City, KS, at 12:29 am CST on 26 February 2022 (06:29 UTC), 5.0 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 6 km WSW of Woodbine, Kansas

59 km (37 mi) SW of Manhattan, KS · 124 km (77 mi) NNE of Wichita, KS

12:29 am CST, Feb 26, 2022 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 85 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Dickinson County 15 kmGeary County 34 kmMorris County 34 kmMarion County 46 kmSaline County 54 kmRiley County 63 kmClay County 65 kmChase County 65 kmOttawa County 67 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
12:29 am CST on 26 February 2022 ()
Where
33 km (21 mi) south-southwest of Junction City, KS · earthquakes near Junction City
Magnitude
M 2.3 (mb_lg)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Dickinson County, 15 km NW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1649 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 37 km (23 mi) from the epicentre. In Junction City, 33 km away, the estimate is intensity II (weak). 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: Herington 14 km, intensity II · Junction City 33 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 85 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 180,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 130,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 11× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.3 about 85 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.3 on 2021-12-08 — about 1,000 times the energy of this one.

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 38.7736, -97.0311. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Dickinson County, KS 15 km (9 mi) NW earthquakes near Dickinson County
Geary County, KS 34 km (21 mi) NE earthquakes near Geary County
Morris County, KS 34 km (21 mi) ESE earthquakes near Morris County
Marion County, KS 46 km (29 mi) S earthquakes near Marion County
Saline County, KS 54 km (33 mi) W earthquakes near Saline County
Riley County, KS 63 km (39 mi) NNE earthquakes near Riley County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.6 9 km NNE of Assaria, Kansas
  2. 2.5 5 km SW of Hope, Kansas
  3. 3.5 6 km E of Assaria, Kansas
  4. 2.6 6 km NW of Ramona, Kansas
  5. 3.7 10 km SW of Gypsum, Kansas
  6. 2.7 7 km SE of Enterprise, Kansas
  7. 2.6 9 km SW of Gypsum, Kansas
  8. 2.9 7 km WSW of Gypsum, Kansas
  9. 3.3 5 km E of Assaria, Kansas
  10. 3.3 7 km ENE of Assaria, Kansas
  11. 2.7 3 km E of Assaria, Kansas
  12. 3.4 6 km ENE of Assaria, Kansas
  13. 2.4 5 km NE of Hope, Kansas
  14. 2.6 7 km SW of Gypsum, Kansas
  15. 3.5 5 km NNW of Herington, 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.