M2.9 Earthquake 20 km ENE of Kenilworth, Illinois — July 8, 2026
2026-07-08 19:38:43 UTC (2026-07-08) · approx. 1:38 PM UTC-6 local
Felt by 610 people across surrounding communities.
On July 8, 2026 at 19:38 UTC, a magnitude 2.9 shallow crustal earthquake struck 20 km ENE of Kenilworth, Illinois, at a depth of 5.0 km and coordinates 42.1858°, -87.5031°. The earthquake was reported felt by 610 peopleacross surrounding communities, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 3.9 (light). This earthquake was detected by 25 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 349, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 2.9 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 338 kg of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 60 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 610 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
-87.5031°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 2.9 earthquake near Kenilworth, Illinois?
The magnitude 2.9 earthquake that struck 20 km ENE of Kenilworth, Illinois on July 8, 2026 at 19:38 UTC had a depth of 5.0 km. It was felt by 610 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 3.9 (light). For context, this was a minor earthquake typically detected only by instruments.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 42.1858°, -87.5031°, which is 20 km ENE of Kenilworth, Illinois.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 2.9 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000sz2h). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2026, July 8, 2026). M2.9 Earthquake 20 km ENE of Kenilworth, Illinois — July 8, 2026. Retrieved July 16, 2026 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000sz2h/