The map shows quakes of M1.5 and up from the last 90 days, the 5 biggest on record, and always the very latest quake — even if it was smaller than M1.5. The list below can include smaller ones the map leaves out. Tap any dot for details.
In the last 30 days, 1 earthquakes of M1.5 or bigger were recorded within 100 km of Sterling, the biggest of them M2.6. Over the past year, M3.0+ quakes near Sterling came at 0.3× the usual pace — quieter than normal for this area. The biggest quake on record near Sterling — records go back to 1980 — was the M4.5 of Jan 19, 2020, 19:08 UTC: 2 km W of South Hutchinson, Kansas.
How we figure this: 2 quakes of M3.0 or bigger within 100 km in the last 12 months (Nov 03, 2025 – Nov 03, 2026), compared with an average of 6.1 a year across the full calendar years 2016–2025, counted the same way. This compares how often quakes happened in two past periods. It is not a forecast, and it does not mean a big earthquake is on its way — nobody can predict earthquakes.
Latest earthquakes near Sterling
| Mag | Location | Local time | Depth | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M2.6 | 7 km ENE of Assaria, Kansas | Oct 08, 2026, 03:40 PM | 5 km | 82 km NE |
| M2.9 | 5 km SSW of Assaria, Kansas | Sep 16, 2026, 04:50 PM | 9 km | 68 km NE |
| M2.3 | 9 km NNW of Pretty Prairie, Kansas | Sep 04, 2026, 10:10 PM | 6 km | 41 km SSE |
| M3.5 | 6 km E of Assaria, Kansas | Feb 25, 2026, 02:14 PM | 7 km | 79 km NE |
| M3.7 | 10 km SW of Gypsum, Kansas | Dec 08, 2025, 09:39 PM | 11 km | 77 km NE |
| M2.8 | 6 km NW of Wilson, Kansas | Dec 04, 2025, 02:02 PM | 9 km | 78 km NNW |
| M2.6 | 6 km NE of Dorrance, Kansas | Nov 28, 2025, 08:08 PM | 5 km | 81 km NNW |
| M2.7 | 8 km NE of Dorrance, Kansas | Nov 18, 2025, 11:44 PM | 5 km | 82 km NNW |
| M2.8 | 4 km NNE of Wilson, Kansas | Nov 10, 2025, 05:53 PM | 10 km | 76 km NNW |
| M3.1 | 5 km NNE of Wilson, Kansas | Oct 30, 2025, 05:16 PM | 6 km | 77 km NNW |
Earthquakes per year near Sterling (M3.0 and up, within 100 km)
M3.0–3.9 M4.0+
Each bar is one year; taller means more quakes (M3.0 and up). The dark red part is the bigger ones (M4.0+), counted inside the number above each bar — not added on top. These may be felt, depending on how far away and how deep they are. 2026 is not a full year yet — it only counts up to today. Source: USGS Earthquake Catalog.
What the last year looked like near Sterling
Every quake of M1.5 or bigger within 100 km over the last year — 9 in total. A quake of exactly M2.0 counts in the M2.0–3.0 group.
The 5 biggest earthquakes on record near Sterling (M4.0 and up, since 1980)
| Mag | Location | Date (UTC) | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| M4.5 | 2 km W of South Hutchinson, Kansas | Jan 19, 2020, 19:08 UTC | 29 km |
| M4.3 | 6 km SSW of Gypsum, Kansas | Dec 08, 2021, 13:45 UTC | 82 km |
| M4.2 | 3 km W of South Hutchinson, Kansas | Aug 16, 2019, 12:59 UTC | 28 km |
| M4.1 | 5 km WSW of South Hutchinson, Kansas | Aug 18, 2019, 08:45 UTC | 28 km |
| M4.0 | 1 km SSW of Gypsum, Kansas | Dec 15, 2021, 09:58 UTC | 86 km |
Nearby places
Nickerson, KS (13 km) · Lyons, KS (15 km) · Hutchinson, KS (29 km) · South Hutchinson, KS (31 km) · Ellinwood, KS (36 km) · Inman, KS (38 km)
USGS data fetched Nov 03, 2026, 18:45 UTC · page built Nov 03, 2026, 18:45 UTC. How to read this page: recent-window counts cover M1.5+ events within 100 km; the 10-year layer is based on M3.0+ and the history layer on M4.0+ since 1980. Recording completeness varies by era and region — small quakes from early decades are under-recorded, so “no record” does not prove “never happened”. Depths are relative to sea level and can be slightly negative for shallow events in elevated terrain. Method: data & methodology.