A quake in Kansas could be the most powerful quake in U.S. history
The epicenter of an earthquake near the Kansas City area on Tuesday night could be as strong as the 9.1 magnitude that killed more than 5,000 people in Oklahoma in 2011.
The quake was centered about 60 miles (100 kilometers) south-southwest of the city of Lawrence and was centered some 5.2 miles (8.4 kilometers) east of the town of Tilden, according to the U.K.-based Geological Survey.
It was felt in the area, about a half-hour’s drive south of Kansas City, where a swarm of residents were evacuated and the National Guard was called in to help.
More:Ahead of the quake, some 200 homes in the Tildens and the Tualatin communities of Tualatuck, Kan., were damaged or destroyed by a small but violent tsunami.
More on the earthquake:The U.N. said the quake was at a magnitude of 9.0, which means it was somewhere between magnitude 9 and 9.5, with an initial magnitude of 8.9.
