QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1md

Earthquake near Steele, MO

No earthquake was likely felt in Steele in the 24 hours to 3:14 am CST (09:14 UTC). The last one was M 1.9, 10 km (6 mi) SSW, at 8:56 pm CDT on 17 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Steele

This page: a magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 4 km (3 mi) south of Steele, MO, at 7:24 pm CDT on 2 July 2025 (00:24 UTC), 10 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 1 km W of Cooter, Missouri

7:24 pm CDT, Jul 2, 2025 · · 10 km deep · released about 37 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Pemiscot County 18 kmDunklin County 24 kmLauderdale County 36 kmMississippi County 37 kmDyer County 38 kmLake County 44 kmTipton County 61 kmNew Madrid County 63 kmClay County 64 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
7:24 pm CDT on 2 July 2025 ()
Where
4 km (3 mi) south of Steele, MO · earthquakes near Steele
Missouri today
every earthquake in Missouri in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.1 (md)
Depth
10 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Pemiscot County, 18 km N
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 494 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 25 km (16 mi) from the epicentre. In Steele, 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: Steele 4 km, intensity II · Blytheville 16 km, intensity II · Caruthersville 22 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 36.0472, -89.8258. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Pemiscot County, MO 18 km (11 mi) N earthquakes near Pemiscot County
Dunklin County, MO 24 km (15 mi) WNW earthquakes near Dunklin County
Lauderdale County, TN 36 km (23 mi) SSE earthquakes near Lauderdale County
Mississippi County, AR 37 km (23 mi) SSW earthquakes near Mississippi County
Dyer County, TN 38 km (24 mi) E earthquakes near Dyer County
Lake County, TN 44 km (27 mi) NE earthquakes near Lake 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. 2.1 5 km ENE of Steele, Missouri
  2. 2.3 3 km WSW of Tiptonville, Tennessee
  3. 1.9 4 km WNW of Newbern, Tennessee
  4. 2.1 3 km SSW of Ridgely, Tennessee
  5. 1.8 1 km NNW of Cooter, Missouri
  6. 2.6 1 km NNW of Cooter, Missouri
  7. 1.6 4 km E of Steele, Missouri
  8. 2.2 1 km NNW of Cooter, Missouri
  9. 1.6 5 km WNW of Tiptonville, Tennessee
  10. 1.9 7 km ENE of Steele, Missouri
  11. 1.7 4 km N of Ridgely, Tennessee
  12. 1.9 3 km NNE of Ridgely, Tennessee
  13. 1.8 3 km NNE of Ridgely, Tennessee
  14. 2.0 4 km NE of Dell, Arkansas
  15. 1.7 6 km S 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.