QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6md

Earthquake near Jonesboro, IL

No earthquake was likely felt in Jonesboro in the 24 hours to 4:33 am CST (10:33 UTC). The last one was M 3.5, 169 km (105 mi) NE, at 2:05 am CDT on 29 June 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 392 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Jonesboro

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 11 km (7 mi) west-northwest of Jonesboro, IL, at 8:13 pm CDT on 9 September 2025 (01:13 UTC), 7.4 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 11 km WNW of Jonesboro, Illinois

8:13 pm CDT, Sep 9, 2025 · · 7.4 km deep · released about 7.3 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Union County 13 kmCape Girardeau County 28 kmAlexander County 33 kmJackson County 34 kmPulaski County 37 kmPerry County 44 kmJohnson County 45 kmWilliamson County 49 kmScott County 50 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
8:13 pm CDT on 9 September 2025 ()
Where
11 km (7 mi) west-northwest of Jonesboro, IL · earthquakes near Jonesboro
Illinois today
every earthquake in Illinois in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.6 (md)
Depth
7.4 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity I
Nearest
Union County, 13 km E
Nearest mapped fault
St. Louis-Cape Girardeau liquefaction features, 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 427 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 Jonesboro, 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: Anna, Cobden, Cape Girardeau, Jackson.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 7.3 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,100,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,500,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 130× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 7.3 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 37.4785, -89.3932. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Union County, IL 13 km (8 mi) E earthquakes near Union County
Cape Girardeau County, MO 28 km (17 mi) WSW earthquakes near Cape Girardeau County
Alexander County, IL 33 km (21 mi) S earthquakes near Alexander County
Jackson County, IL 34 km (21 mi) N earthquakes near Jackson County
Pulaski County, IL 37 km (23 mi) SE earthquakes near Pulaski County
Perry County, MO 44 km (28 mi) NW earthquakes near Perry County

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

1 earthquake has been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 1.9 6 km WNW of Cape Girardeau, 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.