QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.2md

Earthquake near Grayville, IL

No earthquake was likely felt in Grayville in the 24 hours to 5:12 am CST (11:12 UTC). The last one was M 3.5, 34 km (21 mi) N, at 2:05 am CDT on 29 June 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 392 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Grayville

This page: a magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded 4 km (3 mi) south of Grayville, IL, at 4:45 am CDT on 31 May 2017 (09:45 UTC), 6.6 km deep. 11 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 4 km S of Grayville, Illinois

48 km (30 mi) WNW of Evansville, IN

4:45 am CDT, May 31, 2017 · · 6.6 km deep · released about 64 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N White County 22 kmEdwards County 23 kmPosey County 24 kmWabash County 29 kmGibson County 38 kmVanderburgh County 42 kmWayne County 45 kmHamilton County 50 kmGallatin County 54 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
4:45 am CDT on 31 May 2017 ()
Where
4 km (3 mi) south of Grayville, IL · earthquakes near Grayville
Illinois today
every earthquake in Illinois in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.2 (md)
Depth
6.6 km below the surface
Felt
11 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
White County, 22 km SW
Nearest mapped fault
Wabash Valley liquefaction features, 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 135 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 33 km (21 mi) from the epicentre. In Grayville, 4 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: Albion, Poseyville, Carmi, Owensville, Mount Carmel.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 64 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 5.8 230,000× 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 64 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 lists 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.3 5 km SSW of Norris City, Illinois · 45 km SW of this epicentre
  2. 5.2 7 km NNE of Bellmont, Illinois · 28 km NNE of this epicentre

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 38.2188, -87.9945. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
White County, IL 22 km (14 mi) SW earthquakes near White County
Edwards County, IL 23 km (14 mi) NNW earthquakes near Edwards County
Posey County, IN 24 km (15 mi) SSE earthquakes near Posey County
Wabash County, IL 29 km (18 mi) NNE earthquakes near Wabash County
Gibson County, IN 38 km (23 mi) ENE earthquakes near Gibson County
Vanderburgh County, IN 42 km (26 mi) ESE earthquakes near Vanderburgh County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 3.5 6 km NE of West Salem, Illinois
  2. 2.1 5 km WNW of Grayville, Illinois
  3. 2.6 2 km ESE of Cynthiana, Indiana
  4. 2.4 9 km ENE of Uniontown, Kentucky
  5. 2.4 7 km NE of Mount Carmel, Illinois
  6. 2.1 4 km NW of Bone Gap, Illinois
  7. 2.4 4 km WSW of Enfield, Illinois
  8. 2.7 9 km E of Parkersburg, Illinois
  9. 2.5 4 km ESE of Parkersburg, Illinois
  10. 2.6 3 km SE of Springerton, Illinois
  11. 2.2 1 km E of Parkersburg, Illinois
  12. 3.8 4 km N of Bellmont, Illinois
  13. 3.1 4 km N of Bellmont, Illinois

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.