QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7md

Earthquake near Ridgely, TN

No earthquake was likely felt in Ridgely in the 24 hours to 4:29 am CST (10:29 UTC). The last one was M 1.6, 3 km (2 mi) NNE, at 9:02 pm CDT on 31 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Ridgely

This page: a magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded 11 km (7 mi) south of Ridgely, TN, at 9:05 pm CDT on 26 April 2021 (02:05 UTC), 13 km deep.

USGS: 11 km S of Ridgely, Tennessee

9:05 pm CDT, Apr 26, 2021 · · 13 km deep · released about 10 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Dyer County 14 kmLake County 19 kmPemiscot County 29 kmObion County 37 kmLauderdale County 47 kmCrockett County 49 kmFulton County 50 kmNew Madrid County 51 kmGibson County 52 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
9:05 pm CDT on 26 April 2021 ()
Where
11 km (7 mi) south of Ridgely, TN · earthquakes near Ridgely
Magnitude
M 1.7 (md)
Depth
13 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Dyer County, 14 km SSE
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 2024 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Ridgely, 11 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: Dyersburg, Caruthersville, Newbern, Tiptonville, Hayti, Obion.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 10 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 1,500,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,000,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 92× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 10 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 36.1615, -89.4712. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Dyer County, TN 14 km (8 mi) SSE earthquakes near Dyer County
Lake County, TN 19 km (12 mi) N earthquakes near Lake County
Pemiscot County, MO 29 km (18 mi) W earthquakes near Pemiscot County
Obion County, TN 37 km (23 mi) NE earthquakes near Obion County
Lauderdale County, TN 47 km (29 mi) SSW earthquakes near Lauderdale County
Crockett County, TN 49 km (30 mi) SE earthquakes near Crockett 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. 2.0 2 km W of Cooter, Missouri
  2. 1.6 1 km ESE of Marston, Missouri
  3. 1.9 5 km WNW of Marston, Missouri
  4. 1.7 8 km NNW of Tiptonville, Tennessee
  5. 2.3 10 km N of Dyersburg, Tennessee
  6. 1.6 1 km E of Ridgely, Tennessee
  7. 1.8 2 km NE of Marston, Missouri
  8. 2.5 7 km NNW of Dyersburg, Tennessee
  9. 1.6 5 km NNW of Tiptonville, Tennessee
  10. 1.6 2 km ESE of Steele, Missouri
  11. 2.0 5 km NNW of Tiptonville, Tennessee
  12. 1.6 0 km SE of Ridgely, Tennessee
  13. 1.6 1 km SE of Ridgely, Tennessee
  14. 1.6 6 km NNE of Blytheville, Arkansas
  15. 2.1 7 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

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.