QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.3mb_lg

Earthquake near Junction City, KS

No earthquake was likely felt in Junction City in the 24 hours to 3:47 pm CST (21:47 UTC). The last one was M 5.0, 505 km (314 mi) SW, at 5:21 am CDT on 23 July 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 499 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Junction City

This page: a magnitude 3.3 earthquake was recorded 35 km (22 mi) south-southwest of Junction City, KS, at 4:31 pm CDT on 24 March 2020 (21:31 UTC), 5.0 km deep. 12 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 8 km NNE of Hope, Kansas

4:31 pm CDT, Mar 24, 2020 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 1.3 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Junction City Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Dickinson County 15 kmMorris County 35 kmGeary County 36 kmMarion County 45 kmSaline County 52 kmChase County 65 kmRiley County 65 kmClay County 66 kmMcPherson County 66 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
4:31 pm CDT on 24 March 2020 ()
Where
35 km (22 mi) south-southwest of Junction City, KS · earthquakes near Junction City
Magnitude
M 3.3 (mb_lg)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
12 reports · strongest reported intensity V
Nearest
Dickinson County, 15 km NW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2349 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 234 km (145 mi) from the epicentre. In Junction City, 35 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: Herington 14 km, intensity III · Junction City 35 km, intensity III · Marion 46 km, intensity III · Salina 50 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1.3 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 130,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 5,600× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 4,000× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.3 about 1.3 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 2.8× more

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 38.7616, -97.0475. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Dickinson County, KS 15 km (9 mi) NW earthquakes near Dickinson County
Morris County, KS 35 km (22 mi) ESE earthquakes near Morris County
Geary County, KS 36 km (22 mi) NE earthquakes near Geary County
Marion County, KS 45 km (28 mi) S earthquakes near Marion County
Saline County, KS 52 km (33 mi) W earthquakes near Saline County
Chase County, KS 65 km (40 mi) SE earthquakes near Chase County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.5 5 km WSW of Gypsum, Kansas
  2. 2.4 6 km SW of Woodbine, Kansas
  3. 2.5 5 km WSW of Gypsum, Kansas
  4. 3.1 5 km SW of Gypsum, Kansas
  5. 2.7 Kansas
  6. 1.8 6 km E of Assaria, Kansas
  7. 3.1 4 km ESE of Assaria, Kansas
  8. 2.5 8 km SW of Gypsum, Kansas
  9. 2.4 8 km SW of Gypsum, Kansas
  10. 2.8 4 km SW of Gypsum, Kansas
  11. 2.5 8 km SW of Gypsum, Kansas
  12. 2.5 6 km WSW of Gypsum, Kansas
  13. 3.7 7 km WSW of Gypsum, Kansas
  14. 3.7 6 km SW of Gypsum, Kansas
  15. 2.0 2 km SSW of Marion, 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.