Small magnitude 3.0 earthquake 37 miles southeast of Springfield, Illinois, United States

A magnitude 3.0 earthquake near Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois, USA, was reported only 11 minutes ago by the United States Geological Survey, considered the key international and national agency that monitors seismic activity in the US. The earthquake occurred at a very shallow depth of 0.1 miles beneath the epicenter early morning on Tuesday, January 20th, 2026, at 1:27 am local time. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.
A second report was later issued by The Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS), which listed it as a magnitude 3.1 earthquake. A third agency, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), reported the same quake at magnitude 3.5.
Towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include Pana (pop. 5,600) located 6 miles from the epicenter, Nokomis (pop. 2,200) 8 miles away, Assumption (pop. 1,100) 12 miles away, and Taylorville (pop. 10,900) 12 miles away. In Shelbyville (pop. 4,600, 22 miles away), Hillsboro (pop. 5,700, 23 miles away), Litchfield (pop. 6,900, 29 miles away), Vandalia (pop. 7,100, 30 miles away), Decatur (pop. 73,300, 34 miles away), and Springfield (pop. 114,400, 37 miles away), the quake was probably not felt.

Earthquake data:
Date & time: Jan 20, 2026 01:27 am (GMT -6) local time (20 Jan 2026 07:27 GMT)
Magnitude: 3.0
Depth: 0.13 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude: 39.39°N / 89.19°W (Christian County, Illinois, United States)
Primary data source: USGS
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquake/news/292423/Small-magnitude-30-earthquake-37-miles-southeast-of-Springfield-Illinois-United-States.html