QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1md

Arkansas

Yes. A magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded in Arkansas, 81 km (50 mi) N of Memphis, TN, at 8:53 pm CST on 6 December 2023 (02:53 UTC), 18 km deep. 8 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

81 km (50 mi) N of Memphis, TN · 58 km (36 mi) E of Jonesboro, AR

· 18 km deep · released about 37 lb of TNT

Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Mississippi County 8 kmDunklin County 35 kmLauderdale County 38 kmTipton County 46 kmPemiscot County 47 kmCraighead County 54 kmGreene County 57 kmDyer County 62 kmPoinsett County 65 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
Magnitude
M 2.1 (md)
Depth
18 km below the surface
Felt
8 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Mississippi County, 8 km S
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 1004 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 20 km (12 mi) from the epicentre. 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: Manila 13 km, intensity II · Blytheville 15 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 37 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 410,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 290,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 26× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 37 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 35.8368, -90.0372. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Mississippi County, AR 8 km (5 mi) S earthquakes near Mississippi County
Dunklin County, MO 35 km (22 mi) N earthquakes near Dunklin County
Lauderdale County, TN 38 km (24 mi) ESE earthquakes near Lauderdale County
Tipton County, TN 46 km (28 mi) SE earthquakes near Tipton County
Pemiscot County, MO 47 km (29 mi) NNE earthquakes near Pemiscot County
Craighead County, AR 54 km (33 mi) W earthquakes near Craighead County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 6 km N of Etowah, Arkansas
  2. 2.3 2 km WSW of Lake City, Arkansas
  3. 2.2 1 km NNW of Cooter, Missouri
  4. 2.1 3 km WSW of Blytheville, Arkansas
  5. 2.8 8 km W of Henning, Tennessee
  6. 2.5 6 km NNE of Dell, Arkansas
  7. 1.5 3 km E of Steele, Missouri
  8. 2.1 3 km E of Steele, Missouri
  9. 3.7 2 km E of Steele, Missouri
  10. 1.8 4 km ENE of Dell, Arkansas
  11. 1.6 9 km NE of Etowah, Arkansas
  12. 2.1 2 km SW of Caruthersville, Missouri
  13. 2.0 6 km ENE of Steele, Missouri
  14. 2.3 9 km ENE of Steele, Missouri
  15. 1.9 4 km SSW of Caruthersville, 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.