QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.2md

Earthquake near Searcy, AR

USGS: 10 km SSE of Pleasant Plains, Arkansas

9:14 pm CDT, Sep 16, 2018 · · 5.3 km deep · released about 54 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N White County 27 kmIndependence County 31 kmJackson County 38 kmCleburne County 40 kmWoodruff County 44 kmStone County 66 kmPrairie County 70 kmFaulkner County 75 kmIzard County 76 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
9:14 pm CDT on 16 September 2018 ()
Where
26 km (16 mi) NNE of Searcy, AR · earthquakes near Searcy
Magnitude
M 2.2 (md)
Depth
5.3 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
White County, 27 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2937 days ago

A magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded 26 km (16 mi) NNE of Searcy, AR, at 9:14 pm CDT on 16 September 2018 (02:14 UTC). This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Bald Knob, Judsonia, Kensett, Southside, Augusta.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 54 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 280,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 200,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 18× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.2 about 54 lb of TNT

Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.

For this area

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

Before 2016, the USGS record since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km.

Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.

Where

Epicentre 35.4598, -91.6027. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
White County, AR 27 km (16 mi) SSW earthquakes near White County
Independence County, AR 31 km (19 mi) N earthquakes near Independence County
Jackson County, AR 38 km (23 mi) ENE earthquakes near Jackson County
Cleburne County, AR 40 km (25 mi) WNW earthquakes near Cleburne County
Woodruff County, AR 44 km (27 mi) SE earthquakes near Woodruff County
Stone County, AR 66 km (41 mi) NW earthquakes near Stone County

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

48 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 2.3 13 km SSW of Pleasant Plains, Arkansas
  2. 2.4 5 km WSW of Southside, Arkansas
  3. 1.8 3 km NNE of Tumbling Shoals, Arkansas
  4. 2.0 11 km S of Pleasant Plains, Arkansas
  5. 2.2 11 km SSW of Pleasant Plains, Arkansas
  6. 1.9 11 km SSW of Pleasant Plains, Arkansas
  7. 2.2 12 km SSW of Pleasant Plains, Arkansas
  8. 1.9 11 km SSW of Pleasant Plains, Arkansas
  9. 1.9 13 km SSW of Pleasant Plains, Arkansas
  10. 2.1 11 km SW of Pleasant Plains, Arkansas
  11. 1.7 11 km SSW of Pleasant Plains, Arkansas
  12. 2.1 12 km SSW of Pleasant Plains, Arkansas
  13. 2.3 12 km ENE of Pangburn, Arkansas
  14. 1.7 8 km SW of Heber Springs, Arkansas
  15. 2.3 9 km NW of Judsonia, Arkansas

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.

On USGS

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.