Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.5md
Earthquake near New Madrid, MO
No earthquake was likely felt in New Madrid in the 24 hours to 3:17 am CST (09:17 UTC). The last one was M 2.3, 28 km (17 mi) S, at 2:20 pm CDT on 29 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near New Madrid
This page: a magnitude 2.5 earthquake was recorded 11 km (7 mi) south of New Madrid, MO, at 5:01 am CST on 14 January 2020 (11:01 UTC), 8.2 km deep. 4 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 8 km ESE of Marston, Missouri
- When
- 5:01 am CST on 14 January 2020 ()
- Where
- 11 km (7 mi) south of New Madrid, MO · earthquakes near New Madrid
- Missouri today
- every earthquake in Missouri in the last 24 hours
- Magnitude
- M 2.5 (md)
- Depth
- 8.2 km below the surface
- Felt
- 4 reports · strongest reported intensity II
- Nearest
- New Madrid County, 16 km NW
- Nearest mapped fault
- Reelfoot scarp and New Madrid seismic zone, 3 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 2414 days ago
Earthquake alerts for New Madrid, MO
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near New Madrid, MO. No account or email needed.
Alerts are on for .
Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
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 46 km (29 mi) from the epicentre. In New Madrid, 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: New Madrid 11 km, intensity III · Tiptonville 14 km, intensity III · Portageville 17 km, intensity III · East Prairie 35 km, intensity II · Caruthersville 35 km, intensity II · Malden 40 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 180 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.5 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 86,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 61,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 5.4× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.5 about 180 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 36.4912, -89.5282. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Madrid County, MO | 16 km (10 mi) | NW | earthquakes near New Madrid County |
| Lake County, TN | 18 km (11 mi) | SSE | earthquakes near Lake County |
| Fulton County, KY | 31 km (19 mi) | ENE | earthquakes near Fulton County |
| Obion County, TN | 37 km (23 mi) | ESE | earthquakes near Obion County |
| Pemiscot County, MO | 39 km (24 mi) | SW | earthquakes near Pemiscot County |
| Mississippi County, MO | 43 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
58 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 1.6 4 km ENE of North Lilbourn, Missouri
- 1.8 4 km WSW of North Lilbourn, Missouri
- 2.1 9 km NNE of Tiptonville, Tennessee
- 1.5 8 km NNE of Tiptonville, Tennessee
- 2.0 5 km NW of Ridgely, Tennessee
- 1.5 8 km ENE of Steele, Missouri
- 1.7 9 km ESE of Marston, Missouri
- 1.8 2 km W of Ridgely, Tennessee
- 1.8 5 km SSE of Ridgely, Tennessee
- 1.5 3 km SSW of Hornbeak, Tennessee
- 2.4 5 km ESE of Marston, Missouri
- 1.8 2 km SSE of Howardville, Missouri
- 2.2 8 km N of New Madrid, Missouri
- 1.9 1 km ENE of Risco, Missouri
- 2.2 6 km ESE 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
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.