QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.7mwr

Earthquake near Pierre, SD

No earthquake was likely felt in Pierre in the 24 hours to 6:25 am CST (12:25 UTC). The last one was M 3.6, 248 km (154 mi) WSW, at 9:14 pm CST on 8 March 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 7 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Pierre

This page: a magnitude 3.7 earthquake was recorded 38 km (24 mi) north-northwest of Pierre, SD, at 2:39 pm CDT on 30 May 2024 (19:39 UTC), 15 km deep. 485 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 38 km NNW of Pierre, South Dakota

2:39 pm CDT, May 30, 2024 · · 15 km deep · released about 5.4 tons of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Sully County 33 kmStanley County 34 kmHughes County 56 kmDewey County 56 kmPotter County 62 kmJones County 82 kmHyde County 86 kmHaakon County 90 kmWalworth County 92 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
2:39 pm CDT on 30 May 2024 ()
Where
38 km (24 mi) north-northwest of Pierre, SD · earthquakes near Pierre
Magnitude
M 3.7 (mwr)
Depth
15 km below the surface
Felt
485 reports · strongest reported intensity V
Measured shaking
intensity IV (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Nearest
Sully County, 33 km E
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 765 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 370 km (230 mi) from the epicentre. In Pierre, 38 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 5.4 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 32,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,400× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,000× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.7 about 5.4 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 11× 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 44.6847, -100.5453. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Sully County, SD 33 km (20 mi) E earthquakes near Sully County
Stanley County, SD 34 km (21 mi) SSW earthquakes near Stanley County
Hughes County, SD 56 km (35 mi) SE earthquakes near Hughes County
Dewey County, SD 56 km (35 mi) NNW earthquakes near Dewey County
Potter County, SD 62 km (38 mi) NE earthquakes near Potter County
Jones County, SD 82 km (51 mi) S earthquakes near Jones County

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

Aftershocks so far

No further earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

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.