QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1md

Earthquake near Malden, MO

No earthquake was likely felt in Malden in the 24 hours to 10:06 am CST (16:06 UTC). The last one was M 2.2, 21 km (13 mi) E, at 2:06 am CDT on 15 August 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 17 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Malden

This page: a magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 12 km (7 mi) east of Malden, MO, at 3:57 am CDT on 8 June 2021 (08:57 UTC), 5.0 km deep.

USGS: 1 km W of Risco, Missouri

3:57 am CDT, Jun 8, 2021 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 44 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N New Madrid County 17 kmStoddard County 35 kmPemiscot County 38 kmLake County 40 kmDunklin County 49 kmButler County 54 kmClay County 56 kmMississippi County 57 kmFulton County 58 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
3:57 am CDT on 8 June 2021 ()
Where
12 km (7 mi) east of Malden, MO · earthquakes near Malden
Missouri today
every earthquake in Missouri in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.1 (md)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
New Madrid County, 17 km ENE
Nearest mapped fault
Reelfoot scarp and New Madrid seismic zone, under 1 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 1982 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 28 km (17 mi) from the epicentre. In Malden, 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.

Likely felt in: Malden 12 km, intensity II · Portageville 19 km, intensity II · New Madrid 28 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 44 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 340,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 240,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 22× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 44 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 36.5512, -89.8352. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
New Madrid County, MO 17 km (10 mi) ENE earthquakes near New Madrid County
Stoddard County, MO 35 km (22 mi) NNW earthquakes near Stoddard County
Pemiscot County, MO 38 km (24 mi) S earthquakes near Pemiscot County
Lake County, TN 40 km (25 mi) SE earthquakes near Lake County
Dunklin County, MO 49 km (30 mi) SSW earthquakes near Dunklin County
Butler County, MO 54 km (33 mi) WNW earthquakes near Butler County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.8 8 km ENE of Steele, Missouri
  2. 1.8 4 km ESE of Ridgely, Tennessee
  3. 1.6 9 km SE of Matthews, Missouri
  4. 2.1 7 km ENE of Steele, Missouri
  5. 1.8 4 km WNW of Marston, Missouri
  6. 1.7 4 km N of Ridgely, Tennessee
  7. 2.1 3 km E of Marston, Missouri
  8. 1.9 7 km SW of Tiptonville, Tennessee
  9. 1.7 4 km SE of Ridgely, Tennessee
  10. 1.7 5 km ESE of Marston, Missouri
  11. 1.9 1 km W of Howardville, Missouri
  12. 1.5 8 km ESE of Matthews, Missouri
  13. 1.8 5 km SE of Marston, Missouri
  14. 1.9 4 km SSE of Ridgely, Tennessee
  15. 2.2 1 km WSW of Tiptonville, Tennessee

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.