QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9md

Earthquake near Paducah, KY

No earthquake was likely felt in Paducah in the 24 hours to 8:41 am CST (14:41 UTC). The last one was M 2.5, 16 km (10 mi) W, at 11:35 pm CDT on 19 August 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 66 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Paducah

This page: a magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded 21 km (13 mi) west of Paducah, KY, at 11:44 am CDT on 10 May 2024 (16:44 UTC), 6.5 km deep. 7 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 5 km ENE of Kevil, Kentucky

11:44 am CDT, May 10, 2024 · · 6.5 km deep · released about 21 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N McCracken County 12 kmBallard County 17 kmMassac County 17 kmPulaski County 29 kmCarlisle County 30 kmJohnson County 40 kmLivingston County 43 kmPope County 44 kmGraves County 45 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
11:44 am CDT on 10 May 2024 ()
Where
21 km (13 mi) west of Paducah, KY · earthquakes near Paducah
Kentucky today
every earthquake in Kentucky in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.9 (md)
Depth
6.5 km below the surface
Felt
7 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
McCracken County, 12 km ESE
Nearest mapped fault
St. Louis-Cape Girardeau liquefaction features, 18 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 844 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. In Paducah, 21 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: Metropolis, La Center, Massac, Hendron, Farley, Reidland.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 21 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 710,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 500,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 45× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.9 about 21 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 37.1002, -88.8313. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
McCracken County, KY 12 km (7 mi) ESE earthquakes near McCracken County
Ballard County, KY 17 km (10 mi) WSW earthquakes near Ballard County
Massac County, IL 17 km (11 mi) NE earthquakes near Massac County
Pulaski County, IL 29 km (18 mi) WNW earthquakes near Pulaski County
Carlisle County, KY 30 km (19 mi) SSW earthquakes near Carlisle County
Johnson County, IL 40 km (25 mi) N earthquakes near Johnson County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.5 6 km NW of Massac, Kentucky
  2. 2.3 4 km SSW of Burna, Kentucky
  3. 2.0 3 km NE of Ullin, Illinois
  4. 2.4 2 km NNE of Wilson City, Missouri
  5. 1.6 3 km WNW of Mill Creek, Illinois

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.