United States
Earthquakes in South Dakota
ShareUSGS has not recorded an earthquake in and around South Dakota in the last 30 days. The largest ever recorded here is M 5.1, 11 km NW of Merriman, Nebraska, on 1964-03-28.
Nothing recorded in the last 30 days
USGS logged 1 events here in the last year. The historical record is below.
Recent earthquakes in and around South Dakota
USGS has not located an earthquake in and around South Dakota in the last 30 days. That is normal for this area: it recorded 1 in the last year.
The largest on record in and around South Dakota
Since 1900, when the instrumental record becomes usable. The largest is M 5.1 at 11 km NW of Merriman, Nebraska on 1964-03-28: moderate: can damage poorly built structures.
Largest since 1900 USGS
| Magnitude | Location | Date | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 5.1 | 11 km NW of Merriman, Nebraska | 1964-03-28 | 30.0 km deep |
| M 4.5 | South of Huron, South Dakota | 1911-06-02 | Not recorded |
| M 4.4 | 16 km N of Fort Thompson, South Dakota | 1983-03-04 | 5.0 km deep |
| M 4.3 | 14 km S of Chadron, Nebraska | 1934-07-30 | Not recorded |
| M 4.3 | 1 km NE of Tyndall, South Dakota | 1982-11-15 | 5.0 km deep |
| M 4.3 | 16 km SSW of Butte, Nebraska | 2002-11-03 | 5.0 km deep |
| M 4.2 | 30 km WSW of Fort Pierre, South Dakota | 1961-12-31 | 23.0 km deep |
| M 4.1 | 3 km NW of Wessington Springs, South Dakota | 1946-07-23 | Not recorded |
| M 4.0 | South Dakota | 2011-11-14 | 5.0 km deep |
| M 4.0 | 8 km N of Manderson-White Horse Creek, South Dakota | 1990-01-28 | 5.0 km deep |
How these numbers were counted
Counts include every earthquake of magnitude 1.0 and above that USGS located in and around South Dakota. The search is a latitude and longitude rectangle covering South Dakota. 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.