This earthquake occurred about 17 km (10 miles) west-northwest of Morris at a depth of 5-10 km (3-6 miles). It is by far the best documented earthquake in Minnesota history, and possibly the largest. Thousands of people in at least four states felt vibrations from it. Dozens of seismic stations throughout North America, from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean and from the Arctic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, recorded seismic waves produced by it. A portable array of six seismometers was deployed at the epicenter within 36 hours by the U.S. Geological Survey, but no aftershocks were detected over a two-week recording interval. Nearly 200 written or oral felt reports were received by the University of Minnesota in response to newspaper advertisements.

A maximum intensity value of VI has been assigned to several locations in and near Morris. The reported damage included cracked building and basement walls, falling objects, damaged chimneys, and at least one cracked window. An investigating team observed small earth cracks, but these could not with certainty be attributed to the shock. A dominant theme in the 200 felt reports was rumbling, as of heavy trucks passing or of construction machinery. Two reports were received of slight injury, but these were self-inflicted (one man feel off a hayrack in his excitement).

The Morris earthquake was well recorded by earthquake seismographs throughout the United States and Canada, from at least as far as California and British Columbia on the west, Yellowknife on the north, Newfoundland on the east, and Alabama on the south. Seventy records were collected and read, and many more exist. The closes usable stations were Thunder Bay, Ontario (5.51 degrees; 612 km; 383 miles) and Milwaukee (6.45 degrees; 716 km; 448 miles). The most distant usable stations were St. John's, Newfoundland (29.64 degrees; 3293 km; 2058 miles), Resolute, Northwest Territories (29.21 degrees; 3243 km; 2026 miles), and Alert, Northwest Territories (38.51 degrees; 4275 km; 2672 miles).

The epicenter is figured at 45 degrees 39 ft. N, 96 degrees 05 feet W, about 17 km (10 miles) from Morris in a west-northwest direction.

The felt area was reported by the U.S. Geological Survey (Stover and others, 1977) to cover approximately 82,000 square km (31,500 square miles). This includes portions of northern Iowa, western Minnesota, eastern South Dakota, and southeastern North Dakota.