QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.5md

Earthquake near New Madrid, MO

No earthquake was likely felt in New Madrid in the 24 hours to 5:14 am CST (11:14 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 2.5 earthquake was recorded 8 km (5 mi) southwest of New Madrid, MO, at 8:53 pm CDT on 27 October 2023 (01:53 UTC), 9.0 km deep.

USGS: 2 km NNE of Marston, Missouri

8:53 pm CDT, Oct 27, 2023 · · 9.0 km deep · released about 160 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N New Madrid County 8 kmLake County 25 kmFulton County 37 kmPemiscot County 40 kmMississippi County 42 kmObion County 45 kmStoddard County 47 kmScott County 56 kmDyer County 57 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
8:53 pm CDT on 27 October 2023 ()
Where
8 km (5 mi) southwest of New Madrid, MO · earthquakes near New Madrid
Missouri today
every earthquake in Missouri in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.5 (md)
Depth
9.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
New Madrid County, 8 km NW
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 1028 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 45 km (28 mi) from the epicentre. In New Madrid, 8 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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 8 km, intensity III · Portageville 16 km, intensity III · Tiptonville 21 km, intensity II · East Prairie 33 km, intensity II · Malden 33 km, intensity II · Caruthersville 39 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 160 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 92,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 65,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 5.8× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.5 about 160 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 36.5410, -89.5975. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
New Madrid County, MO 8 km (5 mi) NW earthquakes near New Madrid County
Lake County, TN 25 km (16 mi) SSE earthquakes near Lake County
Fulton County, KY 37 km (23 mi) E earthquakes near Fulton County
Pemiscot County, MO 40 km (25 mi) SSW earthquakes near Pemiscot County
Mississippi County, MO 42 km (26 mi) NE earthquakes near Mississippi County
Obion County, TN 45 km (28 mi) ESE earthquakes near Obion County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.4 6 km S of Marston, Missouri
  2. 2.1 4 km NE of Caruthersville, Missouri
  3. 1.5 6 km ESE of Marston, Missouri
  4. 1.9 5 km NW of New Madrid, Missouri
  5. 2.1 9 km SW of Caruthersville, Missouri
  6. 1.6 5 km SE of Marston, Missouri
  7. 2.4 4 km NNW of Ridgely, Tennessee
  8. 1.5 4 km NW of Marston, Missouri
  9. 1.6 3 km ENE of Marston, Missouri
  10. 1.6 4 km E of Caruthersville, Missouri
  11. 1.9 4 km SSE of Bertrand, Missouri
  12. 1.6 3 km WNW of Marston, Missouri
  13. 1.5 3 km WNW of Marston, Missouri
  14. 1.7 4 km ENE of North Lilbourn, Missouri
  15. 2.3 0 km WSW of Howardville, 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.