Kansas earthquakes

M3.7 earthquake 10 km N of Caldwell, Kansas

A magnitude 3.7 earthquake struck 10 km N of Caldwell, Kansas on Wed, Aug 9, 2017, 4:15 PM CDT (21:15 UTC), 6 km (4 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.3 9 km ESE of Jefferson, Oklahoma. This one was a foreshock.

Caldwell 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: 3.7 (mwr), minor
Local time: Wed, Aug 9, 2017, 4:15 PM CDT
UTC: 2017-08-09 21:15:30 UTC
Depth: 6.1 km (3.8 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 37.127° N, 97.613° W
Region: Kansas
Felt reports: 46
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
Peak ground acceleration: 1268.0% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 1.8 cm/s
Map: Automatic

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

Did you feel it?

46 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was IV, light shaking.

Fault motion and ground failure

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

Faulting: Strike-slip
Moment magnitude: 3.7 Mwr
Nodal plane 1: Strike 32°, dip 76°, rake -151°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 295°, dip 62°, rake -16°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 2.9 km horizontally, 6.0 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.05
Station coverage gap: 79°
Stations used: 28

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 157 in the 60 days after this one and 83 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 157.

Before

Earthquakes today Kansas earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us2000a6lz (also filed as ismpkansas70232753). Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 3:19 PM UTC.