QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.6md

Earthquake near Poplar Bluff, MO

No earthquake was likely felt in Poplar Bluff in the 24 hours to 3:14 am CST (09:14 UTC). The last one was M 2.4, 23 km (14 mi) WNW, at 4:36 pm CDT on 17 September 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Poplar Bluff

This page: a magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded 25 km (15 mi) northeast of Poplar Bluff, MO, at 11:23 am CDT on 1 November 2025 (16:23 UTC), 3.8 km deep. 13 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 5 km SW of Puxico, Missouri

11:23 am CDT, Nov 1, 2025 · · 3.8 km deep · released about 240 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Stoddard County 23 kmButler County 29 kmWayne County 32 kmBollinger County 48 kmScott County 57 kmNew Madrid County 59 kmClay County 64 kmMadison County 64 kmCarter County 67 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
11:23 am CDT on 1 November 2025 ()
Where
25 km (15 mi) northeast of Poplar Bluff, MO · earthquakes near Poplar Bluff
Missouri today
every earthquake in Missouri in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.6 (md)
Depth
3.8 km below the surface
Felt
13 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Stoddard County, 23 km ESE
Nearest mapped fault
Western Lowlands liquefaction features, 14 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 288 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 51 km (32 mi) from the epicentre. In Poplar Bluff, 25 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: Poplar Bluff 25 km, intensity II · Malden 44 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 240 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 63,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 45,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.6 about 240 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.0 on 2021-11-18 — about 130 times the energy of this one.

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 36.9110, -90.1922. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Stoddard County, MO 23 km (14 mi) ESE earthquakes near Stoddard County
Butler County, MO 29 km (18 mi) SW earthquakes near Butler County
Wayne County, MO 32 km (20 mi) NW earthquakes near Wayne County
Bollinger County, MO 48 km (30 mi) NNE earthquakes near Bollinger County
Scott County, MO 57 km (36 mi) ENE earthquakes near Scott County
New Madrid County, MO 59 km (37 mi) SE earthquakes near New Madrid County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.4 14 km SE of Ellsinore, Missouri
  2. 2.1 12 km ENE of Greenville, Missouri
  3. 2.1 6 km W of Parma, Missouri
  4. 1.9 6 km W of Parma, Missouri
  5. 1.8 4 km S of Bernie, Missouri
  6. 2.9 14 km SSW of Williamsville, Missouri
  7. 2.3 8 km WSW of Bernie, Missouri
  8. 2.4 7 km W of Williamsville, Missouri
  9. 2.6 12 km E of Williamsville, Missouri
  10. 1.6 8 km NNE of Parma, Missouri
  11. 1.8 2 km NNW of Parma, 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.