QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.8mb_lg

Earthquake near Beloit, KS

No earthquake was likely felt in Beloit in the 24 hours to 3:14 am CST (09:14 UTC). The last one was M 5.0, 469 km (291 mi) SSW, at 5:21 am CDT on 23 July 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 499 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Beloit

This page: a magnitude 2.8 earthquake was recorded 18 km (11 mi) west-northwest of Beloit, KS, at 9:20 pm CDT on 15 March 2025 (02:20 UTC), 5.0 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 2 km NNE of Glen Elder, Kansas

9:20 pm CDT, Mar 15, 2025 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 480 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Mitchell County 17 kmJewell County 29 kmOsborne County 45 kmSmith County 51 kmLincoln County 53 kmCloud County 57 kmRepublic County 65 kmOttawa County 70 kmWebster County 75 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
9:20 pm CDT on 15 March 2025 ()
Where
18 km (11 mi) west-northwest 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 IV
Nearest
Mitchell County, 17 km SSE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 543 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 62 km (39 mi) from the epicentre. In Beloit, 18 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: Beloit 18 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

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 39.5232, -98.3003. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Mitchell County, KS 17 km (10 mi) SSE earthquakes near Mitchell County
Jewell County, KS 29 km (18 mi) NNE earthquakes near Jewell County
Osborne County, KS 45 km (28 mi) WSW earthquakes near Osborne County
Smith County, KS 51 km (32 mi) NW earthquakes near Smith County
Lincoln County, KS 53 km (33 mi) S earthquakes near Lincoln County
Cloud County, KS 57 km (35 mi) E earthquakes near Cloud County

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

Aftershocks so far

7 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

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.