M3.5 Earthquake 10 km NNE of Guide Rock, Nebraska — December 10, 2023
2023-12-10 19:31:18 UTC (2023-12-10) · approx. 12:31 PM UTC-7 local
Felt by 28 people across nearby locations. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 4.5 (moderate).
On December 10, 2023 at 19:31 UTC, a magnitude 3.5 shallow crustal earthquake struck 10 km NNE of Guide Rock, Nebraska, at a depth of 5.0 km and coordinates 40.1666°, -98.3057°. The earthquake was reported felt by 28 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 4.5 (moderate). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 41 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 202, placing it among routine seismic activity. The nearest populated place is Nelson (population 488).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 3.5 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 2.7 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 157 m — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Nearest Populated Places
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 28 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Population exposure (USGS PAGER)
Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.
| Shaking intensity (MMI) | Description | Population exposed |
|---|---|---|
| MMI 3 | weak | 1,520,899 |
| MMI 4 | light | 20,381 |
Earthquake Details
-98.3057°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 3.5 earthquake near Guide Rock, Nebraska?
The magnitude 3.5 earthquake that struck 10 km NNE of Guide Rock, Nebraska on December 10, 2023 at 19:31 UTC had a depth of 5.0 km. It was felt by 28 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 4.5 (moderate). For context, this was a minor earthquake typically detected only by instruments.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 40.1666°, -98.3057°, which is 10 km NNE of Guide Rock, Nebraska. The nearest populated place is Nelson (population 488).
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 3.5 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000lhz1). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, December 10, 2023). M3.5 Earthquake 10 km NNE of Guide Rock, Nebraska — December 10, 2023. Retrieved February 17, 2024 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000lhz1/