Photo: USGS
A 4.1-magnitude earthquake was reported in Nebraska on Sunday (March 1), according to the United States Geological Survey.
The earthquake was recorded 5.0 kilometers (about 3.1 miles) east of Cowles and centered at a depth of 3.0 kilometers (about 1.9 miles) at 12:59 p.m. local time. The USGS said it received 1,851 reports of people having felt the earthquake at the time of publication on Monday (March 2).
Two separate 2.6-magnitude aftershocks were reported in Cowles on Monday. The 4.1-magnitude earthquake was the largest reported in Cowles this year and the area has had four earthquakes in the past 30 days and 22 in the past 365 days, according to EarthquakeTrack.com.
The earthquake was also the largest reported in the state of Nebraska this year, which has had three in the past 30 days and 26 in the past 365 days, according to EarthquakeTrack.com.
Earthquakes measured between 2.5 and 5.4 magnitude can be felt by a large population, however, rarely results in much damage, according to Michigan Tech via the Sacramento Bee.
An estimated 500,000 detectable earthquakes are reported worldwide annually, however, around 100,000 are felt and only 100 typically result in serious damage. Officials strongly advise that anyone caught in an earthquake should drop, cover and hold on, according to the Sacramento Bee.