QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3mb_lg

Earthquake near Marion, KS

No earthquake was likely felt in Marion in the 24 hours to 4:11 pm CST (22:11 UTC). The last one was M 3.6, 243 km (151 mi) SSW, at 6:48 pm CST on 3 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 14 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Marion

This page: a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded 15 km (9 mi) east-northeast of Marion, KS, at 6:46 am CDT on 2 May 2023 (11:46 UTC), 4.7 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 14 km SE of Lincolnville, Kansas

90 km (56 mi) NNE of Wichita, KS

6:46 am CDT, May 2, 2023 · · 4.7 km deep · released about 85 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Marion County 22 kmChase County 25 kmMorris County 37 kmDickinson County 59 kmLyon County 61 kmHarvey County 64 kmGeary County 68 kmMcPherson County 69 kmButler County 69 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
6:46 am CDT on 2 May 2023 ()
Where
15 km (9 mi) east-northeast of Marion, KS · earthquakes near Marion
Magnitude
M 2.3 (mb_lg)
Depth
4.7 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Marion County, 22 km W
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1215 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 37 km (23 mi) from the epicentre. In Marion, 15 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: Marion 15 km, intensity II · Herington 31 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 85 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 180,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 130,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 11× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.3 about 85 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 38.3974, -96.8553. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Marion County, KS 22 km (14 mi) W earthquakes near Marion County
Chase County, KS 25 km (16 mi) ESE earthquakes near Chase County
Morris County, KS 37 km (23 mi) NNE earthquakes near Morris County
Dickinson County, KS 59 km (36 mi) NNW earthquakes near Dickinson County
Lyon County, KS 61 km (38 mi) E earthquakes near Lyon County
Harvey County, KS 64 km (40 mi) SW earthquakes near Harvey County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.5 5 km SW of Hope, Kansas
  2. 2.6 6 km NW of Ramona, Kansas
  3. 2.4 5 km NE of Hope, Kansas
  4. 3.5 5 km NNW of Herington, Kansas
  5. 2.6 7 km ESE of Marion, Kansas
  6. 3.5 6 km WSW of Woodbine, Kansas
  7. 2.7 6 km NE of Cedar Point, Kansas
  8. 2.4 2 km S of Marion, Kansas
  9. 2.4 14 km ESE of Lincolnville, Kansas
  10. 2.5 13 km ENE of Marion, Kansas
  11. 2.3 11 km N of Hope, Kansas
  12. 2.5 14 km SE of Lincolnville, Kansas
  13. 2.3 14 km N of Cedar Point, Kansas
  14. 3.2 13 km SE of Lincolnville, Kansas
  15. 2.5 12 km SE of Lincolnville, 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.