QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8md

Earthquake near Ridgely, TN

No earthquake was likely felt in Ridgely in the 24 hours to 9:24 am CST (15:24 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 1.8 earthquake was recorded 4 km (3 mi) northwest of Ridgely, TN, at 9:39 pm CDT on 22 October 2025 (02:39 UTC), 6.5 km deep.

USGS: 4 km NW of Ridgely, Tennessee

9:39 pm CDT, Oct 22, 2025 · · 6.5 km deep · released about 16 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Lake County 6 kmPemiscot County 25 kmDyer County 29 kmObion County 34 kmNew Madrid County 36 kmFulton County 42 kmDunklin County 51 kmLauderdale County 60 kmGibson 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
9:39 pm CDT on 22 October 2025 ()
Where
4 km (3 mi) northwest of Ridgely, TN · earthquakes near Ridgely
Magnitude
M 1.8 (md)
Depth
6.5 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Lake County, 6 km NE
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 384 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 16 km (10 mi) from the epicentre. In Ridgely, 4 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: Tiptonville 11 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 16 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 970,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 680,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 61× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 16 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 36.2917, -89.5228. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Lake County, TN 6 km (4 mi) NE earthquakes near Lake County
Pemiscot County, MO 25 km (16 mi) WSW earthquakes near Pemiscot County
Dyer County, TN 29 km (18 mi) SSE earthquakes near Dyer County
Obion County, TN 34 km (21 mi) ENE earthquakes near Obion County
New Madrid County, MO 36 km (22 mi) NNW earthquakes near New Madrid County
Fulton County, KY 42 km (26 mi) NE earthquakes near Fulton County

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

Aftershocks so far

56 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 1.7 5 km ESE of Marston, Missouri
  2. 2.2 5 km ESE of Marston, Missouri
  3. 1.7 3 km E of Marston, Missouri
  4. 1.7 2 km NNE of Cooter, Missouri
  5. 1.5 5 km SE of Ridgely, Tennessee
  6. 2.0 5 km SE of Ridgely, Tennessee
  7. 1.6 5 km SE of Ridgely, Tennessee
  8. 2.1 3 km SSW of Caruthersville, Missouri
  9. 1.7 6 km ESE of Ridgely, Tennessee
  10. 2.2 5 km SSW of New Madrid, Missouri
  11. 2.0 3 km SSW of Caruthersville, Missouri
  12. 1.6 9 km N of Dyersburg, Tennessee
  13. 1.7 0 km N of Howardville, Missouri
  14. 2.0 10 km NNW of Dyersburg, Tennessee
  15. 1.5 7 km SSE of Ridgely, 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.