United States
Earthquakes in Iowa
ShareUSGS has not recorded an earthquake in and around Iowa in the last 30 days. The largest ever recorded here is M 4.6, 6 km WNW of Elk Creek, Nebraska, on 1935-03-01.
Nothing recorded in the last 30 days
USGS logged 0 events here in the last year. The historical record is below.
Recent earthquakes in and around Iowa
USGS has not located an earthquake in and around Iowa in the last 30 days. That is normal for this area: it recorded 0 in the last year.
The largest on record in and around Iowa
Since 1900, when the instrumental record becomes usable. The largest is M 4.6 at 6 km WNW of Elk Creek, Nebraska on 1935-03-01: light: noticeable shaking, minor damage possible.
Largest since 1900 USGS
| Magnitude | Location | Date | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 4.6 | 6 km WNW of Elk Creek, Nebraska | 1935-03-01 | Not recorded |
| M 4.0 | Near Keokuk, Iowa | 1905-04-13 | Not recorded |
| M 4.0 | 1 km ESE of Moline, Illinois | 1934-11-12 | Not recorded |
How these numbers were counted
Counts include every earthquake of magnitude 1.0 and above that USGS located in and around Iowa. The search is a latitude and longitude rectangle covering Iowa. No region is a rectangle, so events just outside the border can appear; each row shows the location text USGS published, which names the nearest town. Full method, including why counts from different places are not comparable.
Source: USGS Earthquake Hazards Program (FDSN event service). Retrieved 2026-08-10. Public domain.