Kansas earthquakes

M3.6 earthquake 4 km SW of Bluff City, Kansas

A magnitude 3.6 earthquake struck 4 km SW of Bluff City, Kansas on Sat, May 30, 2015, 6:21 AM CDT (11:21 UTC), 5 km (3 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.7 9 km W of Jet, 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: 3.6 (mwr), minor
Local time: Sat, May 30, 2015, 6:21 AM CDT
UTC: 2015-05-30 11:21:40 UTC
Depth: 5.0 km (3.1 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 37.041° N, 97.905° W
Region: Kansas
Felt reports: 12
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?

12 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was VI, strong 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 63°, dip 51°, rake -124°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 290°, dip 50°, rake -55°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 4.6 km horizontally, 1.9 km in depth
Depth from: Operator assigned
Station coverage gap: 17°
Stations used: 143

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 us20002ki2 (also filed as ismpkansas70108178). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 2:47 PM UTC.