Earthquakes in Ballard County, Kentucky
The most recent earthquake of M2.5 or more near Ballard County was M 2.6, 8 km NW of Tiptonville, Tennessee, 83 km (52 mi) SW of the centre of Ballard County, at 1:51 am CDT on 15 May 2026, 9 km deep. 7 people reported feeling it to USGS. The estimated shaking at the centre of Ballard County was intensity II (weak), felt by some people at rest indoors. 78 smaller earthquakes have been recorded near Ballard County since.
No earthquake of M1.5 or more was recorded within 100 km (62 mi) of the centre of Ballard County in the last 24 hours.
- Last 24 hours
- 0
- Last 7 days
- 2
- Last 30 days
- 9 · an average 30 days here since 2016: 12
- Last 12 months
- 129 · largest M 2.8 on 2 March 2026
- Since 2016
- 1,522 earthquakes of M1.5 or more
- Largest since 2016
- M 3.6 on 15 March 2017, 9 km ESE of Wyatt, Missouri
- Nearest mapped fault
- St. Louis-Cape Girardeau liquefaction features, 18 km from the centre to its surface trace
Latest quake, 24 hours and 7 days: the QuakeIndex database, which reads USGS every 30 seconds, read at ; 30 days and 12 months: the QuakeIndex catalogue, counted to · earthquakes of M1.5 or more within 100 km (62 mi) of the centre of Ballard County · shaking is estimated for the centre with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses
Every earthquake in Kentucky in the last 24 hours →
Quiet QuakeIndex 14 / 100
1 quake of M1.5 or larger in the last 7 days within 100 km. Normal for here is 1 to 4 in a week.
Compared against Ballard County, Kentucky's own 10 years · USGS catalogue · updated
If you felt one
- Was that an earthquake? — checks what was recorded near you in the last hour
- Report what you felt to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us, and they are what produces the intensity maps
- Expect aftershocks, and be ready to Drop, Cover, and Hold On if you feel one; if you are in a damaged building, go outside and move away from it (Ready.gov, FEMA; what to do during and after an earthquake)
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings or forecasts. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert and the MyShake app.
The last 30 days
Show these earthquakes on your own site: a free card with this strip and the latest quakes near Ballard County, Kentucky, for a local news site, school or neighborhood page.
Live · last 7 days
Latest earthquakes within 100 km
None within 100 km in the latest snapshot we hold; the full 7 days load from USGS as this page opens.
Source USGS · snapshot of
The last 7 days on the map
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The centre is 37.051, -89.010, the Census internal point of Ballard County, Kentucky from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Activity on this page is measured within 100 km of it — the dashed circle.
Largest on record nearby
The strongest shaking this record implies at the centre of Ballard County, Kentucky is intensity IV (light), from the M 3.6 of 2017, 21 km away. At that level most people indoors notice it; dishes and windows rattle.
| Magnitude | When | Where | Shaking here (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 3.6 | 9 km ESE of Wyatt, Missouri · felt by 83 | IV · Light | |
| M 3.5 | 5 km SE of New Grand Chain, Illinois · felt by 215 | III · Weak | |
| M 3.4 | 9 km NW of Tiptonville, Tennessee · felt by 136 | II · Weak | |
| M 3.3 | 7 km ESE of Ridgely, Tennessee · felt by 61 | II · Weak | |
| M 3.3 | 3 km ENE of Ridgely, Tennessee · felt by 27 | II · Weak | |
| M 3.3 | 4 km WSW of Howardville, Missouri · felt by 66 | II · Weak | |
| M 3.3 | 9 km ESE of Wyatt, Missouri · felt by 86 | III · Weak | |
| M 3.2 | 5 km SE of Tiptonville, Tennessee · felt by 26 | II · Weak |
From the QuakeIndex catalogue, built from the USGS FDSN event service · within 100 km of the centre above. Shaking is an estimate for the centre from magnitude, depth and distance, with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses (Atkinson & Wald, 2007), on the Modified Mercalli scale. Ground conditions change it locally; it is a description of the past, not a hazard rating.
Before 2016
The USGS record from 1900 to 2015 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 100 km of the centre of Ballard County, Kentucky.
USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900 to 2015. Epicentres of early earthquakes are estimates. This is the record, not a forecast.
Nearest mapped faults
- St. Louis-Cape Girardeau liquefaction features, 18 km from the centre of Ballard County, Kentucky to its surface trace
- Reelfoot scarp and New Madrid seismic zone, 21 km from the centre of Ballard County, Kentucky to its surface trace
- Wabash Valley liquefaction features, 25 km from the centre of Ballard County, Kentucky to its surface trace
- Faults of Thebes Gap area, 36 km from the centre of Ballard County, Kentucky to its surface trace
USGS Quaternary Fault and Fold Database, within 50 km. Near is not the same as on, and faults with no surface trace are not in it.
Be ready
Earthquakes cannot be predicted, here or anywhere, so the useful step is the one taken beforehand. The advice below is from the agencies responsible for it.
- Ready.gov: earthquakes (FEMA) — what to do before, during and after, including Drop, Cover, and Hold On
- Build a kit (FEMA) — water, food and supplies for several days; our summary
- USGS: preparedness — the hazard behind the advice, from the agency that records every quake on this page
- The Great ShakeOut — the yearly earthquake drill, with material for homes, schools and workplaces