QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.7mb_lg

Earthquake near Wellington, KS

No earthquake was likely felt in Wellington in the 24 hours to 11:36 am CST (17:36 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 194 km (120 mi) SSW, at 5:53 am CST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 23 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Wellington

This page: a magnitude 2.7 earthquake was recorded 23 km (15 mi) west-southwest of Wellington, KS, at 1:55 pm CDT on 13 April 2019 (18:55 UTC), 6.7 km deep.

USGS: 10 km SSE of Milan, Kansas

61 km (38 mi) SSW of Wichita, KS

1:55 pm CDT, Apr 13, 2019 · · 6.7 km deep · released about 340 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Sumner County 12 kmHarper County 40 kmGrant County 46 kmSedgwick County 57 kmKay County 58 kmKingman County 62 kmCowley County 69 kmAlfalfa County 81 kmGarfield County 91 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
1:55 pm CDT on 13 April 2019 ()
Where
23 km (15 mi) west-southwest of Wellington, KS · earthquakes near Wellington
Magnitude
M 2.7 (mb_lg)
Depth
6.7 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Sumner County, 12 km ENE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2701 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 56 km (35 mi) from the epicentre. In Wellington, 23 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: Caldwell 17 km, intensity III · Conway Springs 23 km, intensity III · Wellington 23 km, intensity III · Anthony 37 km, intensity II · Belle Plaine 38 km, intensity II · Haysville 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 340 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 45,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 32,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 2.8× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.7 about 340 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 4.1 on 2017-03-29 — about 130 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 37.1823, -97.6147. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Sumner County, KS 12 km (8 mi) ENE earthquakes near Sumner County
Harper County, KS 40 km (25 mi) W earthquakes near Harper County
Grant County, OK 46 km (29 mi) SSW earthquakes near Grant County
Sedgwick County, KS 57 km (35 mi) NNE earthquakes near Sedgwick County
Kay County, OK 58 km (36 mi) SE earthquakes near Kay County
Kingman County, KS 62 km (39 mi) NW earthquakes near Kingman County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 11 km ENE of Wakita, Oklahoma
  2. 1.7 4 km W of Freeport, Kansas
  3. 2.0 9 km WSW of Hunnewell, Kansas
  4. 2.5 4 km NE of South Haven, Kansas
  5. 2.2 9 km WNW of Viola, Kansas
  6. 1.6 7 km N of Nardin, Oklahoma
  7. 2.2 7 km N of Nardin, Oklahoma
  8. 2.1 8 km N of Nardin, Oklahoma
  9. 2.9 8 km NNE of Nardin, Oklahoma
  10. 1.6 7 km N of Nardin, Oklahoma
  11. 1.9 8 km NNE of Nardin, Oklahoma
  12. 2.8 7 km N of Nardin, Oklahoma
  13. 2.7 7 km N of Nardin, Oklahoma
  14. 2.2 8 km N of Nardin, Oklahoma
  15. 2.0 8 km NNE of Nardin, Oklahoma

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.