QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7md

Earthquake near Tiptonville, TN

No earthquake was likely felt in Tiptonville in the 24 hours to 6:29 am CST (12:29 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 1.7 earthquake was recorded 4 km (2 mi) east-southeast of Tiptonville, TN, at 3:22 pm CDT on 16 March 2019 (20:22 UTC), 4.2 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 3 km ESE of Tiptonville, Tennessee

3:22 pm CDT, Mar 16, 2019 · · 4.2 km deep · released about 9.3 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Lake County 5 kmObion County 26 kmFulton County 31 kmNew Madrid County 32 kmDyer County 34 kmPemiscot County 35 kmMississippi County 53 kmHickman County 54 kmDunklin 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
3:22 pm CDT on 16 March 2019 ()
Where
4 km (2 mi) east-southeast of Tiptonville, TN · earthquakes near Tiptonville
Magnitude
M 1.7 (md)
Depth
4.2 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity I
Nearest
Lake County, 5 km SW
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 2795 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 10 km (6 mi) from the epicentre. In Tiptonville, 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.

Likely felt in: Tiptonville 4 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 9.3 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,600,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,100,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 100× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 9.3 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 36.3615, -89.4378. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Lake County, TN 5 km (3 mi) SW earthquakes near Lake County
Obion County, TN 26 km (16 mi) E earthquakes near Obion County
Fulton County, KY 31 km (19 mi) NE earthquakes near Fulton County
New Madrid County, MO 32 km (20 mi) NW earthquakes near New Madrid County
Dyer County, TN 34 km (21 mi) S earthquakes near Dyer County
Pemiscot County, MO 35 km (22 mi) WSW earthquakes near Pemiscot County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 9 km ENE of Steele, Missouri
  2. 1.7 1 km ESE of Caruthersville, Missouri
  3. 1.9 3 km W of Risco, Missouri
  4. 2.5 9 km NW of Tiptonville, Tennessee
  5. 1.7 4 km NW of Tiptonville, Tennessee
  6. 2.4 5 km NNW of Ridgely, Tennessee
  7. 1.5 7 km S of Catron, Missouri
  8. 1.7 4 km SE of Ridgely, Tennessee
  9. 1.6 6 km NW of Dyersburg, Tennessee
  10. 1.7 2 km E of Ridgely, Tennessee
  11. 2.2 9 km NW of Tiptonville, Tennessee
  12. 2.3 8 km NW of Tiptonville, Tennessee
  13. 1.8 6 km SE of Marston, Missouri
  14. 2.1 5 km NNW of Ridgely, Tennessee
  15. 1.9 5 km NW of Ridgely, 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.