QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.8mb_lg

Earthquake near Stockton, KS

No earthquake was likely felt in Stockton in the 24 hours to 3:16 am CST (09:16 UTC). The last one was M 3.0, 39 km (24 mi) WSW, at 5:54 pm CDT on 28 September 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 8 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Stockton

This page: a magnitude 2.8 earthquake was recorded 8 km (5 mi) north-northwest of Stockton, KS, at 2:58 pm CDT on 5 October 2025 (19:58 UTC), 7.0 km deep. 5 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 8 km NNW of Stockton, Kansas

2:58 pm CDT, Oct 5, 2025 · · 7.0 km deep · released about 480 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Rooks County 18 kmPhillips County 31 kmOsborne County 50 kmGraham County 52 kmSmith County 55 kmNorton County 59 kmEllis County 66 kmHarlan County 75 kmRussell County 80 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
2:58 pm CDT on 5 October 2025 ()
Where
8 km (5 mi) north-northwest of Stockton, KS · earthquakes near Stockton
Magnitude
M 2.8 (mb_lg)
Depth
7.0 km below the surface
Felt
5 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Rooks County, 18 km S
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 326 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 61 km (38 mi) from the epicentre. In Stockton, 8 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: Stockton 8 km, intensity III · Phillipsburg 28 km, intensity III · Plainville 30 km, intensity III · Hill City 48 km, intensity II. 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.6 on 2019-06-22 — about 500 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 39.5044, -99.3104. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Rooks County, KS 18 km (11 mi) S earthquakes near Rooks County
Phillips County, KS 31 km (19 mi) N earthquakes near Phillips County
Osborne County, KS 50 km (31 mi) ESE earthquakes near Osborne County
Graham County, KS 52 km (32 mi) WSW earthquakes near Graham County
Smith County, KS 55 km (34 mi) NE earthquakes near Smith County
Norton County, KS 59 km (37 mi) WNW earthquakes near Norton County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 3.0 2 km SSW of Bogue, Kansas
  2. 2.5 9 km S of Bogue, Kansas
  3. 2.5 9 km SW of Natoma, Kansas
  4. 2.4 12 km NE of Damar, Kansas
  5. 2.9 5 km SW of Kirwin, Kansas
  6. 2.8 10 km SSW of Stockton, 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.