Kansas earthquakes

M3.6 earthquake 6 km SSW of Bluff City, Kansas

A magnitude 3.6 earthquake struck 6 km SSW of Bluff City, Kansas on Tue, Apr 28, 2015, 5:18 PM CDT (22:18 UTC), 8 km (5 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.9 19 km W of Cleo Springs, Oklahoma. This one was a foreshock.

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Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 3.6 (mwr), minor
Local time: Tue, Apr 28, 2015, 5:18 PM CDT
UTC: 2015-04-28 22:18:54 UTC
Depth: 7.7 km (4.8 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 37.021° N, 97.896° W
Region: Kansas
Felt reports: 53
Strongest shaking: IV, light shaking
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated: IV, light shaking
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

Did you feel it?

53 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was V, moderate shaking.

Fault motion and ground failure

How the rock slipped, from the moment tensor, and the USGS estimate of landslides and liquefaction.

Faulting: Oblique normal
Moment magnitude: 3.6 Mwr
Nodal plane 1: Strike 57°, dip 65°, rake -128°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 299°, dip 44°, rake -37°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 4.5 km horizontally, 3.7 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.06
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 16°
Stations used: 178

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 200 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 200.

Earthquakes today Kansas earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us20002a09 (also filed as ismpkansas70098923). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 12:08 PM UTC.