M3.5 Earthquake near Ohlman, Illinois — 20 January 2026
A minor earthquake of magnitude 3.5 was recorded near Ohlman, Illinois on , with an epicentre 4 km northwest of Ohlman, at a focal depth of 8.8 km.
Time (UTC): 2026-01-20 07:27:40
Time (your timezone): —
Magnitude: 3.5 (minor)
Focal depth: 8.8 km (shallow)
Epicentre: 39.3753, -89.2468
Location: 4 km NW of Ohlman, Illinois
USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked
Review status: Reviewed
Source: USGS event page
How strong was this earthquake?
Minor earthquakes in this range are felt by people close to the epicentre as a brief jolt or rattle, but they very rarely cause any damage.
A magnitude 3.5 earthquake radiates roughly 2.3 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 664, which meets the USGS threshold of more than 600 for its significant-earthquake list. The ranking combines magnitude with available Did You Feel It responses and PAGER alert level; it is not a direct measurement of damage.
Where was the epicentre?
The epicentre was located at 39.3753, -89.2468 — 4 km northwest of Ohlman. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 3.3 earthquake 79 km east of here on 13 May 2025.
Why the 9 km depth matters
At 9 km this was a shallow earthquake. Shallow events release their energy close to the surface, so for a given magnitude they produce noticeably stronger shaking — and more damage — than deeper ones. Roughly three quarters of all earthquakes worldwide occur at shallow depths.
This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, an event this size may be noticed locally, especially close to the epicentre. Its shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper event of the same magnitude.
What does the tsunami information flag mean?
The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M3.5 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.
How earthquakes generate tsunamis, and what the alert levels mean →
Aftershocks and local seismic history
No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event.
0 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 3.5 event near West Salem on 29 June 2026. This M3.5 event released a comparable amount of energy to that event.
How long aftershock sequences last, and how large they get →
Where this event sits in the record
This earthquake is part of the January 2026 worldwide record. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.
Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre
- M3.3 earthquake near Lerna, Illinois — (79 km E)
- M3.5 earthquake near Lerna, Illinois — (80 km E)
- M2.4 earthquake near Fenton, Missouri — (140 km SW)
- M3.5 earthquake near West Salem, Illinois — (143 km SE)
- M2.4 earthquake near Valmeyer, Illinois — (152 km SW)
- M2.3 earthquake near Valmeyer, Illinois — (153 km SW)
- M2.3 earthquake near Valmeyer, United States — (154 km SW)
- M2.0 earthquake near Valmeyer, Illinois — (155 km SW)
- M2.1 earthquake near Grayville, Illinois — (160 km SE)
- M1.7 earthquake near Olympian Village, Missouri — (175 km SW)
Other magnitude 3 earthquakes worldwide
- M3.4 earthquake near Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands —
- M3.3 earthquake near Desert Hot Springs, CA —
- M3.3 earthquake near Suárez, Puerto Rico —
- M3.3 earthquake near Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands —
- M3.6 earthquake near Atka, Alaska —
- M3.2 earthquake near King Cove, Alaska —
- M3.6 earthquake near Toms Place, CA —
- M3.4 earthquake near Girdwood, Alaska —
Questions about this earthquake
How strong is a magnitude 3.5 earthquake?
Minor earthquakes in this range are felt by people close to the epicentre as a brief jolt or rattle, but they very rarely cause any damage. A magnitude 3.5 earthquake radiates roughly 2.3 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
How deep was the earthquake near Ohlman?
At 9 km this was a shallow earthquake. Shallow events release their energy close to the surface, so for a given magnitude they produce noticeably stronger shaking — and more damage — than deeper ones. Roughly three quarters of all earthquakes worldwide occur at shallow depths.
Was the M3.5 earthquake near Ohlman felt?
This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, an event this size may be noticed locally, especially close to the epicentre. Its shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper event of the same magnitude.
What does the USGS tsunami field mean for this event?
The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M3.5 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.
Have there been aftershocks?
No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event.
How often do earthquakes happen near Ohlman?
0 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 3.5 event near West Salem on 29 June 2026. This M3.5 event released a comparable amount of energy to that event.