Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 4.0mw
Earthquake near Poplar Bluff, MO
No earthquake was likely felt in Poplar Bluff in the 24 hours to 2:25 am CST (08:25 UTC). The last one was M 2.4, 23 km (14 mi) WNW, at 4:36 pm CDT on 17 September 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Poplar Bluff
This page: a magnitude 4.0 earthquake was recorded 21 km (13 mi) northwest of Poplar Bluff, MO, at 8:53 pm CST on 17 November 2021 (02:53 UTC), 16 km deep. 5,440 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 7 km S of Williamsville, Missouri
- When
- 8:53 pm CST on 17 November 2021 ()
- Where
- 21 km (13 mi) northwest of Poplar Bluff, MO · earthquakes near Poplar Bluff
- Missouri today
- every earthquake in Missouri in the last 24 hours
- Magnitude
- M 4.0 (mw)
- Depth
- 16 km below the surface
- Felt
- 5,440 reports · strongest reported intensity V
- Measured shaking
- intensity V (ShakeMap)
- USGS impact alert
- green
- Nearest
- Wayne County, 24 km NNE
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 302 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Poplar Bluff, MO
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Poplar Bluff, 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 light earthquake. It is usually felt clearly nearby and can rattle windows and dishes, but damage is uncommon.
At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 460 km (286 mi) from the epicentre. In Poplar Bluff, 21 km away, the estimate is intensity IV (light). 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: Poplar Bluff 21 km, intensity IV · Doniphan 41 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 15 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.0 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 11,000× the energy of this one
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 500× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 350× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 4.0 about 15 tons of TNT
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 32× more
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
The largest earthquake within 50 km (31 mi) since our catalogue begins in 2016. No other earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded this close in that time.
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 36.9077, -90.5430. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County, MO | 24 km (15 mi) | NNE | earthquakes near Wayne County |
| Butler County, MO | 25 km (15 mi) | SSE | earthquakes near Butler County |
| Carter County, MO | 36 km (22 mi) | W | earthquakes near Carter County |
| Ripley County, MO | 41 km (26 mi) | SW | earthquakes near Ripley County |
| Stoddard County, MO | 53 km (33 mi) | E | earthquakes near Stoddard County |
| Clay County, AR | 61 km (38 mi) | S | earthquakes near Clay County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
24 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 2.4 14 km SE of Ellsinore, Missouri
- 2.1 12 km ENE of Greenville, Missouri
- 2.9 14 km SSW of Williamsville, Missouri
- 2.4 7 km W of Williamsville, Missouri
- 2.6 12 km E of Williamsville, Missouri
- 2.6 5 km SW of Puxico, Missouri
- 3.1 4 km S of Puxico, Missouri
- 2.9 12 km WSW of Grandin, Missouri
- 2.5 13 km SSW of Williamsville, Missouri
- 2.5 4 km E of Doniphan, Missouri
- 2.7 5 km E of Doniphan, Missouri
- 2.3 9 km ESE of Williamsville, Missouri
- 2.7 4 km ENE of Grandin, Missouri
- 2.4 13 km E of Williamsville, Missouri
- 3.2 10 km N of Van Buren, 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.