M3.5 Earthquake 5 km NNW of Herington, Kansas — May 15, 2025
2025-05-15 21:33:24 UTC (2025-05-15) · approx. 3:33 PM UTC-6 local
Felt by 69 people across nearby locations. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 4.8 (moderate).
On May 15, 2025 at 21:33 UTC, a magnitude 3.5 shallow crustal earthquake struck 5 km NNW of Herington, Kansas, at a depth of 5.0 km and coordinates 38.7164°, -96.9709°. The earthquake was reported felt by 69 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 4.8 (moderate). This earthquake was detected by 45 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 218, placing it among routine seismic activity.
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.
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 69 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
Earthquake Details
-96.9709°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 3.5 earthquake near Herington, Kansas?
The magnitude 3.5 earthquake that struck 5 km NNW of Herington, Kansas on May 15, 2025 at 21:33 UTC had a depth of 5.0 km. It was felt by 69 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 4.8 (moderate). For context, this was a minor earthquake typically detected only by instruments.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 38.7164°, -96.9709°, which is 5 km NNW of Herington, Kansas.
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: us7000pzh7). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2025, May 15, 2025). M3.5 Earthquake 5 km NNW of Herington, Kansas — May 15, 2025. Retrieved July 25, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000pzh7/