QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.9mb_lg

Earthquake near Beloit, KS

USGS: 5 km NNW of Scottsville, Kansas

10:02 pm CDT, Oct 5, 2019 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 680 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Mitchell County 29 kmJewell County 30 kmCloud County 31 kmRepublic County 39 kmOttawa County 57 kmLincoln County 63 kmNuckolls County 66 kmSmith County 72 kmOsborne County 72 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
10:02 pm CDT on 5 October 2019 ()
Where
18 km (11 mi) NE of Beloit, KS · earthquakes near Beloit
Magnitude
M 2.9 (mb_lg)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
4 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Mitchell County, 29 km SW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2471 days ago

A magnitude 2.9 earthquake was recorded 18 km (11 mi) NE of Beloit, KS, at 10:02 pm CDT on 5 October 2019 (03:02 UTC). 4 people have reported feeling it to USGS. This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Concordia.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 680 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 22,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 16,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.9 about 680 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 39.5838, -97.9844. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Mitchell County, KS 29 km (18 mi) SW earthquakes near Mitchell County
Jewell County, KS 30 km (18 mi) NW earthquakes near Jewell County
Cloud County, KS 31 km (19 mi) ESE earthquakes near Cloud County
Republic County, KS 39 km (25 mi) NE earthquakes near Republic County
Ottawa County, KS 57 km (35 mi) SSE earthquakes near Ottawa County
Lincoln County, KS 63 km (39 mi) SSW earthquakes near Lincoln County

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

Aftershocks so far

50 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. 2.7 4 km SE of Glen Elder, Kansas
  4. 2.5 1 km NNW of Glen Elder, Kansas
  5. 2.5 1 km NNE of Glen Elder, Kansas
  6. 2.1 0 km N of Glen Elder, Kansas
  7. 2.8 2 km NNE of Glen Elder, Kansas
  8. 2.9 2 km NE of Glen Elder, Kansas
  9. 2.8 0 km NW of Glen Elder, Kansas
  10. 2.7 1 km N of Glen Elder, Kansas
  11. 2.7 0 km WSW of Glen Elder, Kansas
  12. 3.2 0 km SE of Glen Elder, Kansas
  13. 2.6 7 km N of Jewell, Kansas
  14. 2.5 7 km WSW of Formoso, Kansas
  15. 2.5 7 km WSW of Formoso, 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.