Kansas earthquakes

M3.4 earthquake 4 km SW of Bluff City, Kansas

A magnitude 3.4 earthquake struck 4 km SW of Bluff City, Kansas on Thu, Aug 20, 2015, 8:17 AM CDT (13:17 UTC), 6 km (4 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.4 12 km ENE of Nash, Oklahoma. This one was a foreshock.

Anthony forecast More in Kansas

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 3.4 (ML, local (Richter)), minor
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Thu, Aug 20, 2015, 8:17 AM CDT
UTC: 2015-08-20 13:17:54 UTC
Depth: 6.3 km (3.9 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 37.053° N, 97.914° W
Region: Kansas
Felt reports: 1
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Magnitude estimates

Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.

Mag.	Scale	Computed by	Notes
3.4	ML, local (Richter)	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.187 · 22 stations
3.38	ML, local (Richter)	ISMPKANSAS	Final · ±0.187 · 22 stations

Did you feel it?

1 person reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was II, weak shaking.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 1.9 km horizontally, 2.8 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.19
Station coverage gap: 72°
Stations used: 31

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: at least 201 in the 60 days after this one and at least 200 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of at least 201.

Before

Earthquakes today Kansas earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us100033nu (also filed as ismpkansas70129733). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 9:22 PM UTC.