QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0md

southeastern Missouri

Yes. A magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded in southeastern Missouri, at 1:53 am CDT on 29 October 2017 (06:53 UTC), 8.5 km deep.

· 8.5 km deep · released about 31 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Lake County 14 kmNew Madrid County 19 kmFulton County 33 kmPemiscot County 35 kmObion County 36 kmDyer County 46 kmMississippi County 47 kmHickman County 56 kmDunklin 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
Missouri today
every earthquake in Missouri in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.0 (md)
Depth
8.5 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Lake County, 14 km SSE
Nearest mapped fault
Reelfoot scarp and New Madrid seismic zone, 2 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 3298 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 23 km (14 mi) from the epicentre. 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: Tiptonville 10 km, intensity II · Portageville 15 km, intensity II · New Madrid 15 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 31 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 480,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 340,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 31× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 31 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 36.4497, -89.5345. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Lake County, TN 14 km (8 mi) SSE earthquakes near Lake County
New Madrid County, MO 19 km (12 mi) NW earthquakes near New Madrid County
Fulton County, KY 33 km (21 mi) ENE earthquakes near Fulton County
Pemiscot County, MO 35 km (22 mi) SW earthquakes near Pemiscot County
Obion County, TN 36 km (22 mi) ESE earthquakes near Obion County
Dyer County, TN 46 km (28 mi) SSE earthquakes near Dyer County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 6 km ESE of Ridgely, Tennessee
  2. 1.6 7 km SE of Ridgely, Tennessee
  3. 2.4 1 km S of Howardville, Missouri
  4. 2.3 1 km NE of Marston, Missouri
  5. 1.6 6 km SSE of Ridgely, Tennessee
  6. 1.9 3 km WNW of Marston, Missouri
  7. 1.7 7 km NW of Tiptonville, Tennessee
  8. 1.6 6 km SSE of Marston, Missouri
  9. 1.6 6 km S of Ridgely, Tennessee
  10. 2.0 5 km SSE of Bertrand, Missouri
  11. 1.9 1 km NNE of Marston, Missouri
  12. 1.9 3 km SSW of Parma, Missouri
  13. 1.7 5 km NW of Tiptonville, Tennessee
  14. 1.6 6 km SE of Marston, Missouri
  15. 1.7 10 km WNW of Newbern, 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.