The map shows quakes of M1.5 and up from the last 90 days, the 1 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, 0 earthquakes of M1.5 or bigger were recorded within 100 km of Clay Center. Over the past year, M3.0+ quakes near Clay Center came at 0.5× the usual pace — quieter than normal for this area. The biggest quake on record near Clay Center — records go back to 1980 — was the M4.1 of Mar 01, 2026, 18:59 UTC: 4 km E of Cowles, Nebraska.
How we figure this: 1 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 2.1 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 Clay Center
| Mag | Location | Local time | Depth | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M2.9 | 7 km E of Cowles, Nebraska | May 11, 2026, 09:40 AM | 5 km | 47 km SSW |
| M2.8 | 4 km ESE of Cowles, Nebraska | May 08, 2026, 10:09 PM | 5 km | 49 km SW |
| M2.5 | 6 km ESE of Cowles, Nebraska | Mar 12, 2026, 07:15 AM | 5 km | 49 km SSW |
| M2.4 | 4 km ENE of Cowles, Nebraska | Mar 11, 2026, 09:25 PM | 5 km | 48 km SW |
| M2.6 | 8 km N of Guide Rock, Nebraska | Mar 01, 2026, 08:45 PM | 5 km | 47 km SSW |
| M2.6 | 9 km E of Cowles, Nebraska | Mar 01, 2026, 02:26 PM | 6 km | 47 km SSW |
| M2.3 | 3 km S of Cowles, Nebraska | Mar 01, 2026, 02:04 PM | 5 km | 54 km SW |
| M4.1 | 4 km E of Cowles, Nebraska | Mar 01, 2026, 12:59 PM | 5 km | 48 km SW |
| M3.5 | 10 km NNE of Guide Rock, Nebraska | Dec 10, 2023, 01:31 PM | 5 km | 45 km SSW |
| M3.4 | Nebraska | Sep 18, 2023, 09:34 AM | 10 km | 45 km SSW |
Earthquakes per year near Clay Center (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 Clay Center
Every quake of M1.5 or bigger within 100 km over the last year — 8 in total. A quake of exactly M2.0 counts in the M2.0–3.0 group.
The 1 biggest earthquakes on record near Clay Center (M4.0 and up, since 1980)
| Mag | Location | Date (UTC) | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| M4.1 | 4 km E of Cowles, Nebraska | Mar 01, 2026, 18:59 UTC | 48 km |
Nearby places
Sutton, NE (19 km) · Hastings, NE (29 km) · Nelson, NE (36 km) · Aurora, NE (39 km) · Geneva, NE (39 km)
USGS data fetched Nov 03, 2026, 23:45 UTC · page built Nov 03, 2026, 23:45 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.