QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5md

Earthquake near Sikeston, MO

No earthquake was likely felt in Sikeston in the 24 hours to 2:47 pm CST (20:47 UTC). The last one was M 1.9, 14 km (9 mi) SSE, at 12:12 am CDT on 28 July 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Sikeston

This page: a magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 22 km (14 mi) south-southeast of Sikeston, MO, at 3:20 pm CST on 14 January 2026 (21:20 UTC), 11 km deep.

USGS: 9 km SSE of Matthews, Missouri

3:20 pm CST, Jan 14, 2026 · · 11 km deep · released about 6.2 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N New Madrid County 15 kmMississippi County 26 kmFulton County 34 kmLake County 39 kmScott County 41 kmStoddard County 42 kmObion County 49 kmHickman County 49 kmCarlisle County 53 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
3:20 pm CST on 14 January 2026 ()
Where
22 km (14 mi) south-southeast of Sikeston, MO · earthquakes near Sikeston
Missouri today
every earthquake in Missouri in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.5 (md)
Depth
11 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
New Madrid County, 15 km SW
Nearest mapped fault
Reelfoot scarp and New Madrid seismic zone, 4 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 300 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Sikeston, 22 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: New Madrid, Lilbourn, East Prairie.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 6.2 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,500,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,700,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 150× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.5 about 6.2 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 36.6845, -89.5253. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
New Madrid County, MO 15 km (10 mi) SW earthquakes near New Madrid County
Mississippi County, MO 26 km (16 mi) NE earthquakes near Mississippi County
Fulton County, KY 34 km (21 mi) ESE earthquakes near Fulton County
Lake County, TN 39 km (24 mi) S earthquakes near Lake County
Scott County, MO 41 km (25 mi) N earthquakes near Scott County
Stoddard County, MO 42 km (26 mi) WNW earthquakes near Stoddard County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.1 6 km W of Parma, Missouri
  2. 1.9 6 km W of Parma, Missouri
  3. 2.4 3 km WSW of Tallapoosa, Missouri
  4. 1.7 1 km NNE of Ridgely, Tennessee
  5. 1.7 3 km NW of Ridgely, Tennessee
  6. 1.7 7 km ESE of Marston, Missouri
  7. 1.9 5 km E of Matthews, Missouri
  8. 1.8 5 km ESE of Ridgely, Tennessee
  9. 2.0 9 km NNW of Tiptonville, Tennessee
  10. 1.8 4 km S of Bernie, Missouri
  11. 2.0 3 km ENE of North Lilbourn, Missouri
  12. 1.9 6 km WNW of Tiptonville, Tennessee
  13. 1.9 3 km E of Marston, Missouri
  14. 1.9 6 km NW of Tiptonville, Tennessee
  15. 2.0 9 km SE of Matthews, 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.