QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.5mb_lg

Earthquake near Herington, KS

USGS: 4 km NW of Herington, Kansas

5:43 am CDT, May 9, 2021 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 170 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Herington Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Dickinson County 25 kmMorris County 29 kmMarion County 39 kmGeary County 39 kmChase County 55 kmSaline County 59 kmMcPherson County 67 kmRiley County 70 kmWabaunsee County 74 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
5:43 am CDT on 9 May 2021 ()
Where
4 km (3 mi) NW of Herington, KS · earthquakes near Herington
Magnitude
M 2.5 (mb_lg)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Dickinson County, 25 km NW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1897 days ago

A magnitude 2.5 earthquake was recorded 4 km (3 mi) NW of Herington, KS, at 5:43 am CDT on 9 May 2021 (10:43 UTC). This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 170 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 89,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 63,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 5.6× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.5 about 170 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 38.6929, -96.9820. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Dickinson County, KS 25 km (15 mi) NW earthquakes near Dickinson County
Morris County, KS 29 km (18 mi) E earthquakes near Morris County
Marion County, KS 39 km (24 mi) SSW earthquakes near Marion County
Geary County, KS 39 km (24 mi) NNE earthquakes near Geary County
Chase County, KS 55 km (34 mi) SE earthquakes near Chase County
Saline County, KS 59 km (37 mi) W earthquakes near Saline 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. 2.6 14 km SE of Lincolnville, Kansas
  2. 2.5 15 km SE of Lincolnville, Kansas
  3. 2.5 Kansas
  4. 2.8 7 km SW of Woodbine, Kansas
  5. 2.2 13 km SE of Lincolnville, Kansas
  6. 2.5 6 km E of New Cambria, Kansas
  7. 2.5 12 km SSE of Lincolnville, Kansas
  8. 2.8 14 km SE of Lincolnville, Kansas
  9. 2.2 5 km ESE of Marion, Kansas
  10. 2.4 Kansas
  11. 3.0 8 km NNW of Roxbury, Kansas
  12. 2.4 5 km NNE of Hope, Kansas
  13. 2.5 5 km W of Woodbine, Kansas
  14. 2.7 6 km E of Assaria, Kansas
  15. 2.6 7 km WSW of Gypsum, 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.