QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.5mb_lg

Earthquake near Derby, KS

No earthquake was likely felt in Derby in the 24 hours to 9:29 am CST (15:29 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 226 km (140 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 Derby

This page: a magnitude 2.5 earthquake was recorded 49 km (30 mi) west-southwest of Derby, KS, at 4:24 am CST on 6 January 2022 (10:24 UTC), 5.0 km deep. 3 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 5 km NE of Argonia, Kansas

55 km (34 mi) SW of Wichita, KS

4:24 am CST, Jan 6, 2022 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 170 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Sumner County 22 kmHarper County 33 kmKingman County 46 kmSedgwick County 48 kmGrant County 57 kmKay County 75 kmReno County 78 kmCowley County 79 kmAlfalfa County 83 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
4:24 am CST on 6 January 2022 ()
Where
49 km (30 mi) west-southwest of Derby, KS · earthquakes near Derby
Magnitude
M 2.5 (mb_lg)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
3 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Sumner County, 22 km ESE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1705 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 46 km (29 mi) from the epicentre. In Derby, 49 km away, the estimate is intensity II (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: Conway Springs 12 km, intensity III · Wellington 32 km, intensity II · Anthony 32 km, intensity II · Caldwell 32 km, intensity II · Cheney 37 km, intensity II · Belle Plaine 41 km, intensity II · Haysville 44 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.2 on 2021-02-19 — about 350 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 37.3018, -97.7261. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Sumner County, KS 22 km (14 mi) ESE earthquakes near Sumner County
Harper County, KS 33 km (20 mi) WSW earthquakes near Harper County
Kingman County, KS 46 km (29 mi) NW earthquakes near Kingman County
Sedgwick County, KS 48 km (30 mi) NNE earthquakes near Sedgwick County
Grant County, OK 57 km (36 mi) S earthquakes near Grant County
Kay County, OK 75 km (47 mi) SE earthquakes near Kay County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 9 km WSW of Hunnewell, Kansas
  2. 1.5 1 km SE of Manchester, Oklahoma
  3. 2.0 Oklahoma
  4. 1.8 10 km SSW of Hunnewell, Kansas
  5. 2.0 Oklahoma
  6. 1.7 7 km NW of Medford, Oklahoma
  7. 2.2 7 km NW of Medford, Oklahoma
  8. 1.7 8 km WSW of Hunnewell, Kansas
  9. 1.8 0 km ENE of Renfrow, Oklahoma
  10. 1.8 2 km NW of Renfrow, Oklahoma
  11. 1.6 7 km NW of Medford, Oklahoma
  12. 1.6 1 km WNW of Renfrow, Oklahoma
  13. 2.8 10 km N of Milton, Kansas
  14. 2.4 10 km WNW of Viola, Kansas
  15. 2.6 8 km WNW of Viola, 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.