QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.2md

Earthquake near Covington, TN

No earthquake was likely felt in Covington in the 24 hours to 4:27 am CST (10:27 UTC). The last one was M 4.0, 57 km (35 mi) NNW, at 12:59 pm CDT on 23 April 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 913 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Covington

This page: a magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded 12 km (7 mi) north-northwest of Covington, TN, at 10:35 pm CDT on 5 October 2018 (03:35 UTC), 10 km deep.

USGS: 9 km W of Henning, Tennessee

68 km (42 mi) NNE of Memphis, TN · 50 km (31 mi) NNE of Bartlett, TN

10:35 pm CDT, Oct 5, 2018 · · 10 km deep · released about 62 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Lauderdale County 11 kmTipton County 20 kmMississippi County 35 kmHaywood County 37 kmDyer County 50 kmCrockett County 52 kmShelby County 57 kmFayette County 58 kmPemiscot County 61 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
10:35 pm CDT on 5 October 2018 ()
Where
12 km (7 mi) north-northwest of Covington, TN · earthquakes near Covington
Magnitude
M 2.2 (md)
Depth
10 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Lauderdale County, 11 km NNE
Nearest mapped fault
Reelfoot scarp and New Madrid seismic zone, 20 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2958 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 32 km (20 mi) from the epicentre. In Covington, 12 km away, the estimate is intensity II (weak). Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Ripley, Central, Brighton, Luxora, Osceola, Atoka.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 62 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 5.8 240,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 170,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 15× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.2 about 62 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 35.6690, -89.6795. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Lauderdale County, TN 11 km (7 mi) NNE earthquakes near Lauderdale County
Tipton County, TN 20 km (12 mi) SSW earthquakes near Tipton County
Mississippi County, AR 35 km (22 mi) WNW earthquakes near Mississippi County
Haywood County, TN 37 km (23 mi) ESE earthquakes near Haywood County
Dyer County, TN 50 km (31 mi) NNE earthquakes near Dyer County
Crockett County, TN 52 km (32 mi) ENE earthquakes near Crockett County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.7 6 km ENE of Steele, Missouri
  2. 2.6 6 km ENE of Steele, Missouri
  3. 1.9 1 km NNW of Cooter, Missouri
  4. 1.8 6 km NNE of Blytheville, Arkansas
  5. 1.8 3 km NNE of Blytheville, Arkansas
  6. 1.6 4 km E of Steele, Missouri
  7. 1.8 6 km ENE of Steele, Missouri
  8. 1.7 3 km E of Dell, Arkansas
  9. 1.7 3 km S of Dell, Arkansas
  10. 2.1 0 km WNW of Blytheville, Arkansas
  11. 2.2 5 km SSE of Manila, Arkansas
  12. 2.3 6 km SSW of Holland, Missouri
  13. 1.7 3 km WNW of Dyersburg, Tennessee
  14. 2.2 5 km ENE of Steele, Missouri
  15. 2.1 3 km SSE of Holland, Missouri

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.