The July 27, 1980 earthquake
M5.0near Sharpsburg, Kentucky
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake 6.2 miles deep, centred in Bath County. The strongest in Kentucky’s record since 1900, and the strongest within 50 miles in the catalogue, which runs from 1900.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.0
- moment magnitude (mw)
- Depth
- 6.2 mi
- 10.0 km below the surface
- Local time
- Sunday, July 27, 1980
- 14:52 EDT; 18:52 UTC
- In Kentucky’s record
- 1st
- strongest of 136 since 1900
USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, event se601214 (“2 km SW of Sharpsburg, Kentucky”). The USGS event page carries the ShakeMap, felt reports and the official summary.
Counties and cities within 50 miles
Distance from the epicentre to each county boundary (zero when inside) and to each city centre.
Counties, nearest 30 of 44
- Bath CountyKY · inside
- Nicholas CountyKY · 1.5 mi
- Bourbon CountyKY · 1.5 mi
- Montgomery CountyKY · 1.5 mi
- Clark CountyKY · 8.8 mi
- Fleming CountyKY · 9.2 mi
- Robertson CountyKY · 16.3 mi
- Menifee CountyKY · 16.8 mi
- Rowan CountyKY · 17.1 mi
- Powell CountyKY · 17.7 mi
- Mason CountyKY · 19.0 mi
- Harrison CountyKY · 19.8 mi
- Fayette CountyKY · 20.0 mi
- Estill CountyKY · 23.7 mi
- Madison CountyKY · 24.0 mi
- Scott CountyKY · 24.6 mi
- Lewis CountyKY · 26.0 mi
- Bracken CountyKY · 27.0 mi
- Morgan CountyKY · 29.6 mi
- Wolfe CountyKY · 30.4 mi
- Pendleton CountyKY · 30.6 mi
- Jessamine CountyKY · 33.6 mi
- Brown CountyOH · 33.6 mi
- Adams CountyOH · 33.8 mi
- Carter CountyKY · 34.2 mi
- Lee CountyKY · 34.6 mi
- Grant CountyKY · 36.4 mi
- Woodford CountyKY · 37.0 mi
- Elliott CountyKY · 37.2 mi
- Owen CountyKY · 39.4 mi
Cities, largest first
- LexingtonKY · 29.5 mi
- GeorgetownKY · 32.1 mi
- RichmondKY · 37.1 mi
- NicholasvilleKY · 39.4 mi
- FrankfortKY · 49.7 mi
- WinchesterKY · 18.4 mi
- BereaKY · 45.6 mi
- VersaillesKY · 43.2 mi
- ParisKY · 17.5 mi
Earthquakes around the epicentre
9 earthquakes of magnitude 3 or more within 50 miles of this epicentre since 1973.
No earlier earthquake of magnitude 5 or more within 50 miles in the catalogue since 1900.
USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog. Local time is the time zone of the county nearest the epicentre. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them.