Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.6mb_lg
Earthquake near Smith Center, KS
No earthquake was likely felt in Smith Center in the 24 hours to 4:36 am CST (10:36 UTC). The last one was M 5.0, 472 km (293 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 Smith Center
This page: a magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded 22 km (14 mi) north-northwest of Smith Center, KS, at 2:37 pm CDT on 17 June 2025 (19:37 UTC), 5.0 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 15 km SSW of Riverton, Nebraska
- When
- 2:37 pm CDT on 17 June 2025 ()
- Where
- 22 km (14 mi) north-northwest of Smith Center, KS · earthquakes near Smith Center
- Magnitude
- M 2.6 (mb_lg)
- Depth
- 5.0 km below the surface
- Felt
- 1 report · strongest reported intensity III
- Nearest
- Smith County, 21 km SSE
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 448 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Smith Center, KS
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Smith Center, KS. No account or email needed.
Alerts are on for .
Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
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 51 km (32 mi) from the epicentre. In Smith Center, 22 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: Phillipsburg 47 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 240 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.6 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 63,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 45,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 4× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.6 about 240 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 39.9715, -98.8500. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smith County, KS | 21 km (13 mi) | SSE | earthquakes near Smith County |
| Franklin County, NE | 25 km (16 mi) | NNW | earthquakes near Franklin County |
| Webster County, NE | 38 km (24 mi) | NE | earthquakes near Webster County |
| Phillips County, KS | 47 km (29 mi) | WSW | earthquakes near Phillips County |
| Harlan County, NE | 52 km (33 mi) | WNW | earthquakes near Harlan County |
| Jewell County, KS | 58 km (36 mi) | ESE | earthquakes near Jewell County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
9 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 2.9 7 km E of Cowles, Nebraska
- 2.8 4 km ESE of Cowles, Nebraska
- 2.5 6 km ESE of Cowles, Nebraska
- 2.4 4 km ENE of Cowles, Nebraska
- 2.6 8 km N of Guide Rock, Nebraska
- 2.6 9 km E of Cowles, Nebraska
- 2.3 3 km S of Cowles, Nebraska
- 4.1 4 km E of Cowles, Nebraska
- 2.9 5 km SW of Kirwin, 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
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.