QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.2md

Earthquake near Blytheville, AR

No earthquake was likely felt in Blytheville in the 24 hours to 5:30 pm CST (23:30 UTC). The last one was M 1.9, 10 km (6 mi) NNE, at 8:56 pm CDT on 17 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Blytheville

This page: a magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded 17 km (11 mi) east-northeast of Blytheville, AR, at 12:35 am CST on 7 January 2020 (06:35 UTC), 18 km deep.

USGS: 8 km SE of Cooter, Missouri

12:35 am CST, Jan 7, 2020 · · 18 km deep · released about 52 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Pemiscot County 24 kmLauderdale County 28 kmDyer County 32 kmDunklin County 33 kmMississippi County 37 kmLake County 45 kmTipton County 55 kmCrockett County 59 kmHaywood County 62 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
12:35 am CST on 7 January 2020 ()
Where
17 km (11 mi) east-northeast of Blytheville, AR · earthquakes near Blytheville
Missouri today
every earthquake in Missouri in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.2 (md)
Depth
18 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Pemiscot County, 24 km N
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 2500 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 25 km (16 mi) from the epicentre. In Blytheville, 17 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: Steele 12 km, intensity II · Blytheville 17 km, intensity II · Caruthersville 24 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 52 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 5.8 290,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 200,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 18× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.2 about 52 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 35.9942, -89.7487. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Pemiscot County, MO 24 km (15 mi) N earthquakes near Pemiscot County
Lauderdale County, TN 28 km (17 mi) SSE earthquakes near Lauderdale County
Dyer County, TN 32 km (20 mi) ENE earthquakes near Dyer County
Dunklin County, MO 33 km (21 mi) WNW earthquakes near Dunklin County
Mississippi County, AR 37 km (23 mi) SW earthquakes near Mississippi County
Lake County, TN 45 km (28 mi) NNE earthquakes near Lake County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 4 km SW of Ridgely, Tennessee
  2. 2.1 6 km SW of Caruthersville, Missouri
  3. 2.2 13 km SSE of Ridgely, Tennessee
  4. 1.6 1 km NNW of Ridgely, Tennessee
  5. 2.5 1 km SW of Ridgely, Tennessee
  6. 1.7 3 km ESE of Ridgely, Tennessee
  7. 1.8 6 km NNE of Blytheville, Arkansas
  8. 1.8 6 km W of Ridgely, Tennessee
  9. 1.8 3 km NNE of Blytheville, Arkansas
  10. 1.6 4 km E of Steele, Missouri
  11. 1.8 11 km S of Ridgely, Tennessee
  12. 1.5 5 km NW of Ridgely, Tennessee
  13. 1.7 6 km W of Tiptonville, Tennessee
  14. 1.8 6 km ENE of Steele, Missouri
  15. 1.7 4 km SSW of Caruthersville, Missouri

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.