QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.6md

Earthquake near Tiptonville, TN

No earthquake was likely felt in Tiptonville in the 24 hours to 9:27 am CST (15:27 UTC). The last one was M 2.3, 8 km (5 mi) SW, at 2:20 pm CDT on 29 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Tiptonville

This page: a magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded 11 km (7 mi) north of Tiptonville, TN, at 10:15 pm CDT on 13 September 2018 (03:15 UTC), 4.7 km deep.

USGS: 10 km N of Tiptonville, Tennessee

10:15 pm CDT, Sep 13, 2018 · · 4.7 km deep · released about 280 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Lake County 16 kmNew Madrid County 21 kmFulton County 26 kmObion County 31 kmPemiscot County 41 kmMississippi County 42 kmDyer County 47 kmHickman County 50 kmStoddard County 60 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
10:15 pm CDT on 13 September 2018 ()
Where
11 km (7 mi) north of Tiptonville, TN · earthquakes near Tiptonville
Magnitude
M 2.6 (md)
Depth
4.7 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Lake County, 16 km S
Nearest mapped fault
Reelfoot scarp and New Madrid seismic zone, 4 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 2912 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 53 km (33 mi) from the epicentre. In Tiptonville, 11 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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: Tiptonville 11 km, intensity III · New Madrid 14 km, intensity III · Portageville 22 km, intensity III · East Prairie 35 km, intensity II · Caruthersville 36 km, intensity II · Malden 46 km, intensity II · Dyersburg 50 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 280 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 55,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 39,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 3.5× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.6 about 280 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 36.4748, -89.4670. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Lake County, TN 16 km (10 mi) S earthquakes near Lake County
New Madrid County, MO 21 km (13 mi) NW earthquakes near New Madrid County
Fulton County, KY 26 km (16 mi) ENE earthquakes near Fulton County
Obion County, TN 31 km (19 mi) ESE earthquakes near Obion County
Pemiscot County, MO 41 km (25 mi) SW earthquakes near Pemiscot County
Mississippi County, MO 42 km (26 mi) NNE earthquakes near Mississippi County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 6 km ESE of Marston, Missouri
  2. 1.6 8 km NW of Dyersburg, Tennessee
  3. 1.7 5 km NNW of Tiptonville, Tennessee
  4. 2.2 10 km SE of Matthews, Missouri
  5. 1.5 5 km SSE of Ridgely, Tennessee
  6. 1.9 5 km ESE of Marston, Missouri
  7. 1.6 9 km WNW of Tiptonville, Tennessee
  8. 1.9 7 km SSE of Marston, Missouri
  9. 1.9 2 km NW of Ridgely, Tennessee
  10. 1.7 9 km NW of Tiptonville, Tennessee
  11. 1.5 3 km E of Ridgely, Tennessee
  12. 2.9 9 km NW of Tiptonville, Tennessee
  13. 3.1 9 km NW of Tiptonville, Tennessee
  14. 1.7 8 km SSE of Ridgely, Tennessee
  15. 2.3 10 km N of Dyersburg, 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.