Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.4md
Earthquake near New Madrid, MO
No earthquake was likely felt in New Madrid in the 24 hours to 10:48 am CST (16:48 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 2.4 earthquake was recorded 11 km (7 mi) north of New Madrid, MO, at 6:22 pm CDT on 18 May 2021 (23:22 UTC), 16 km deep.
USGS: 10 km N of New Madrid, Missouri
- When
- 6:22 pm CDT on 18 May 2021 ()
- Where
- 11 km (7 mi) north of New Madrid, MO · earthquakes near New Madrid
- Missouri today
- every earthquake in Missouri in the last 24 hours
- Magnitude
- M 2.4 (md)
- Depth
- 16 km below the surface
- Felt
- no reports yet
- Nearest
- New Madrid County, 16 km SW
- Nearest mapped fault
- Reelfoot scarp and New Madrid seismic zone, 4 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 1936 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 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 40 km (25 mi) from the epicentre. In New Madrid, 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.
Likely felt in: New Madrid 11 km, intensity II · East Prairie 16 km, intensity II · Charleston 30 km, intensity II · Portageville 33 km, intensity II · Tiptonville 34 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 130 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.4 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 110,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 80,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 7.2× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.4 about 130 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 36.6815, -89.5148. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Madrid County, MO | 16 km (10 mi) | SW | earthquakes near New Madrid County |
| Mississippi County, MO | 25 km (16 mi) | NE | earthquakes near Mississippi County |
| Fulton County, KY | 33 km (20 mi) | ESE | earthquakes near Fulton County |
| Lake County, TN | 39 km (24 mi) | S | earthquakes near Lake County |
| Scott County, MO | 41 km (25 mi) | N | earthquakes near Scott County |
| Stoddard County, MO | 43 km (27 mi) | WNW | earthquakes near Stoddard County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
59 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 1.6 8 km N of Tiptonville, Tennessee
- 1.6 1 km WNW of Howardville, Missouri
- 2.0 9 km N of New Madrid, Missouri
- 1.7 2 km NE of Marston, Missouri
- 1.6 2 km NNE of Marston, Missouri
- 1.8 4 km ESE of Ridgely, Tennessee
- 1.6 9 km SE of Matthews, Missouri
- 1.8 4 km WNW of Marston, Missouri
- 1.7 4 km N of Ridgely, Tennessee
- 2.1 3 km E of Marston, Missouri
- 1.9 7 km SW of Tiptonville, Tennessee
- 1.7 4 km SE of Ridgely, Tennessee
- 1.7 5 km ESE of Marston, Missouri
- 1.9 1 km W of Howardville, Missouri
- 1.5 8 km ESE of Matthews, 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.