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 2:26 pm CST (20:26 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 8 km (5 mi) west-southwest of Tiptonville, TN, at 4:27 am CDT on 21 June 2021 (09:27 UTC), 10.0 km deep.

USGS: 7 km WSW of Tiptonville, Tennessee

4:27 am CDT, Jun 21, 2021 · · 10.0 km deep · released about 9.6 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Lake County 7 kmPemiscot County 27 kmNew Madrid County 27 kmObion County 36 kmDyer County 37 kmFulton County 39 kmDunklin County 51 kmMississippi County 56 kmHickman County 63 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
4:27 am CDT on 21 June 2021 ()
Where
8 km (5 mi) west-southwest of Tiptonville, TN · earthquakes near Tiptonville
Magnitude
M 1.7 (md)
Depth
10.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Lake County, 7 km ESE
Nearest mapped fault
Reelfoot scarp and New Madrid seismic zone, 2 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 1969 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 5 km (3 mi) from the epicentre. In Tiptonville, 8 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Ridgely, Portageville, Caruthersville, Hayti, New Madrid, Lilbourn.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 9.6 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 99× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 9.6 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 36.3635, -89.5557. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Lake County, TN 7 km (4 mi) ESE earthquakes near Lake County
Pemiscot County, MO 27 km (17 mi) SW earthquakes near Pemiscot County
New Madrid County, MO 27 km (17 mi) NNW earthquakes near New Madrid County
Obion County, TN 36 km (23 mi) E earthquakes near Obion County
Dyer County, TN 37 km (23 mi) SSE earthquakes near Dyer County
Fulton County, KY 39 km (24 mi) ENE earthquakes near Fulton 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. 1.7 4 km SE of Cooter, Missouri
  2. 1.7 2 km NE of Marston, Missouri
  3. 1.6 2 km NNE of Marston, Missouri
  4. 1.7 5 km SE of Ridgely, Tennessee
  5. 2.8 8 km ENE of Steele, Missouri
  6. 1.8 4 km ESE of Ridgely, Tennessee
  7. 1.6 9 km SE of Matthews, Missouri
  8. 1.8 3 km S of Holland, Missouri
  9. 1.8 11 km S of Ridgely, Tennessee
  10. 2.1 7 km ENE of Steele, Missouri
  11. 1.8 4 km WNW of Marston, Missouri
  12. 1.7 4 km N of Ridgely, Tennessee
  13. 1.6 6 km SSE of Ridgely, Tennessee
  14. 2.1 3 km E of Marston, Missouri
  15. 1.9 7 km SW of Tiptonville, 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.