QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.0md

Earthquake near East Prairie, MO

No earthquake was likely felt in East Prairie in the 24 hours to 10:45 am CST (16:45 UTC). The last one was M 1.9, 13 km (8 mi) W, at 12:12 am CDT on 28 July 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near East Prairie

This page: a magnitude 3.0 earthquake was recorded 12 km (7 mi) east of East Prairie, MO, at 11:42 pm CDT on 26 September 2019 (04:42 UTC), 17 km deep. 35 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 6 km NE of Pinhook, Missouri

11:42 pm CDT, Sep 26, 2019 · · 17 km deep · released about 1,100 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Mississippi County 7 kmFulton County 25 kmCarlisle County 26 kmHickman County 27 kmBallard County 38 kmNew Madrid County 41 kmScott County 42 kmObion County 47 kmAlexander County 47 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
11:42 pm CDT on 26 September 2019 ()
Where
12 km (7 mi) east of East Prairie, MO · earthquakes near East Prairie
Missouri today
every earthquake in Missouri in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 3.0 (md)
Depth
17 km below the surface
Felt
35 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Mississippi County, 7 km NNW
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 2518 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 73 km (45 mi) from the epicentre. In East Prairie, 12 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: East Prairie 12 km, intensity III · Charleston 19 km, intensity III · New Madrid 32 km, intensity III · Tiptonville 48 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1,100 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 320,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 14,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 10,000× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.0 about 1,100 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 36.7713, -89.2542. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Mississippi County, MO 7 km (4 mi) NNW earthquakes near Mississippi County
Fulton County, KY 25 km (16 mi) SSE earthquakes near Fulton County
Carlisle County, KY 26 km (16 mi) ENE earthquakes near Carlisle County
Hickman County, KY 27 km (17 mi) ESE earthquakes near Hickman County
Ballard County, KY 38 km (24 mi) NE earthquakes near Ballard County
New Madrid County, MO 41 km (25 mi) WSW earthquakes near New Madrid County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 3 km SW of Marston, Missouri
  2. 2.0 9 km SE of Marston, Missouri
  3. 1.6 6 km NW of Marston, Missouri
  4. 1.6 3 km WSW of Howardville, Missouri
  5. 1.8 3 km ENE of Lilbourn, Missouri
  6. 2.0 6 km E of Marston, Missouri
  7. 2.5 8 km ESE of Marston, Missouri
  8. 1.7 2 km ENE of Marston, Missouri
  9. 1.6 5 km NW of Tiptonville, Tennessee
  10. 1.9 4 km ESE of Marston, Missouri
  11. 1.8 0 km NNE of Howardville, Missouri
  12. 2.5 4 km NW of Marston, Missouri
  13. 2.4 3 km NW of Marston, Missouri
  14. 1.6 3 km WNW of Marston, Missouri
  15. 1.6 3 km WNW of Marston, 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.