Kansas earthquakes

M3.4 earthquake 6 km NNE of Bennington, Kansas

A magnitude 3.4 earthquake struck 6 km NNE of Bennington, Kansas on Sun, Dec 31, 2023, 10:34 AM CST (16:34 UTC), 5 km (3 mi) below the surface.

Bennington forecastMore 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 (Mwr, regional moment), minor
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2023-12-31 16:34:50 UTC
Depth
5.0 km (3.1 mi), shallow
Epicenter
39.087° N, 97.569° W
Region
Kansas
Felt reports
41
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
10.0% of gravity
Peak ground velocity
1.0 cm/s
Map
Automatic
USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter
Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

Did you feel it?

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

Did You Feel It? map: shaking reported by the public
Shaking reported by the public, by area. Map: USGS Did You Feel It?

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
3.4 Mwr
Nodal plane 1
Strike 120°, dip 90°, rake 25°
Nodal plane 2
Strike 30°, dip 65°, rake 180°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 3.1 km horizontally, 7.6 km in depth
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
87°
Stations used
12

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.513 km ENE of Marion, Kansas · 1001 days ago · 5 km deep · 100 km away · felt by 6
  2. 2.54 km W of Bennington, Kansas · 978 days ago · 5 km deep · 9 km away · felt by 43
  3. 2.414 km ESE of Lincolnville, Kansas · 968 days ago · 5 km deep · 99 km away · felt by 6

Before

  1. 3.17 km E of Assaria, Kansas · 1016 days ago · 3 km deep · 47 km away · felt by 22
  2. 2.67 km NNE of Bennington, Kansas · 1029 days ago · 5 km deep · 1 km away · felt by 9

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000m0ue. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 9:53 AM UTC.