QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.4mwr

Earthquake near Salina, KS

No earthquake was likely felt in Salina in the 24 hours to 3:14 am CST (09:14 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 3.4 earthquake was recorded 28 km (17 mi) north of Salina, KS, at 10:34 am CST on 31 December 2023 (16:34 UTC), 5.0 km deep. 41 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 6 km NNE of Bennington, Kansas

10:34 am CST, Dec 31, 2023 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 1.9 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Salina Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Ottawa County 9 kmSaline County 34 kmDickinson County 43 kmClay County 45 kmCloud County 45 kmLincoln County 56 kmMitchell County 65 kmEllsworth County 70 kmGeary County 70 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
10:34 am CST on 31 December 2023 ()
Where
28 km (17 mi) north of Salina, KS · earthquakes near Salina
Magnitude
M 3.4 (mwr)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
41 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Measured shaking
intensity IV (ShakeMap)
Nearest
Ottawa County, 9 km NW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 984 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 271 km (168 mi) from the epicentre. In Salina, 28 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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: Salina 28 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1.9 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.4 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 89,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 4,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 2,800× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.4 about 1.9 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 4× 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.3 on 2021-12-08 — about 22 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 39.0869, -97.5693. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Ottawa County, KS 9 km (6 mi) NW earthquakes near Ottawa County
Saline County, KS 34 km (21 mi) SSW earthquakes near Saline County
Dickinson County, KS 43 km (27 mi) SE earthquakes near Dickinson County
Clay County, KS 45 km (28 mi) NE earthquakes near Clay County
Cloud County, KS 45 km (28 mi) N earthquakes near Cloud County
Lincoln County, KS 56 km (35 mi) W earthquakes near Lincoln County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.6 9 km NNE of Assaria, Kansas
  2. 3.5 6 km E of Assaria, Kansas
  3. 2.6 9 km SW of Gypsum, Kansas
  4. 2.9 7 km WSW of Gypsum, Kansas
  5. 3.3 5 km E of Assaria, Kansas
  6. 3.3 7 km ENE of Assaria, Kansas
  7. 2.7 3 km E of Assaria, Kansas
  8. 3.4 6 km ENE of Assaria, Kansas
  9. 2.6 7 km SW of Gypsum, Kansas
  10. 2.7 2 km SW of Assaria, Kansas
  11. 2.4 3 km ENE of Assaria, Kansas
  12. 2.7 4 km WSW of Assaria, Kansas
  13. 2.6 0 km SSW of Assaria, Kansas
  14. 2.5 3 km NNW of Assaria, Kansas
  15. 2.4 0 km N of Assaria, 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.