QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.6mb_lg

Earthquake near Beloit, KS

No earthquake was likely felt in Beloit in the 24 hours to 5:59 pm CST (23:59 UTC). The last one was M 5.0, 469 km (291 mi) SSW, at 5:21 am CDT on 23 July 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 499 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Beloit

This page: a magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded 31 km (20 mi) north of Beloit, KS, at 12:32 am CST on 13 December 2024 (06:32 UTC), 12 km deep.

USGS: 7 km N of Jewell, Kansas

12:32 am CST, Dec 13, 2024 · · 12 km deep · released about 240 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Jewell County 8 kmMitchell County 39 kmRepublic County 44 kmNuckolls County 50 kmCloud County 51 kmSmith County 55 kmWebster County 58 kmThayer County 67 kmOsborne 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
12:32 am CST on 13 December 2024 ()
Where
31 km (20 mi) north of Beloit, KS · earthquakes near Beloit
Magnitude
M 2.6 (mb_lg)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Jewell County, 8 km NW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 631 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 50 km (31 mi) from the epicentre. In Beloit, 31 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: Beloit 31 km, intensity II · Superior 32 km, intensity II · Concordia 45 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 240 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 63,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 45,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.6 about 240 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 39.7374, -98.1467. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Jewell County, KS 8 km (5 mi) NW earthquakes near Jewell County
Mitchell County, KS 39 km (24 mi) S earthquakes near Mitchell County
Republic County, KS 44 km (27 mi) ENE earthquakes near Republic County
Nuckolls County, NE 50 km (31 mi) N earthquakes near Nuckolls County
Cloud County, KS 51 km (32 mi) ESE earthquakes near Cloud County
Smith County, KS 55 km (34 mi) W earthquakes near Smith County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.5 6 km ESE of Cowles, Nebraska
  2. 2.6 8 km N of Guide Rock, Nebraska
  3. 2.6 9 km E of Cowles, Nebraska
  4. 2.5 4 km NNE of Jewell, Kansas
  5. 2.6 5 km WSW of Formoso, Kansas
  6. 2.7 4 km SE of Glen Elder, Kansas
  7. 2.5 1 km NNW of Glen Elder, Kansas
  8. 2.5 1 km NNE of Glen Elder, Kansas
  9. 2.1 0 km N of Glen Elder, Kansas
  10. 2.8 2 km NNE of Glen Elder, Kansas
  11. 2.9 2 km NE of Glen Elder, Kansas
  12. 2.8 0 km NW of Glen Elder, Kansas
  13. 2.7 1 km N of Glen Elder, Kansas
  14. 2.7 0 km WSW of Glen Elder, Kansas
  15. 3.2 0 km SE of Glen Elder, 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.