Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.5md
Earthquake near Morristown, TN
No earthquake was likely felt in Morristown in the 24 hours to 5:02 pm EST (22:02 UTC). The last one was M 2.3, 22 km (14 mi) WNW, at 2:41 am EDT on 9 July 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1 felt report to USGS. Every earthquake near Morristown
This page: a magnitude 2.5 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) south-southwest of Morristown, TN, at 4:24 am EST on 20 February 2016 (09:24 UTC), 4.8 km deep. 4 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 3 km SSW of Morristown, Tennessee
62 km (39 mi) ENE of Knoxville, TN
- When
- 4:24 am EST on 20 February 2016 ()
- Where
- 3 km (2 mi) south-southwest of Morristown, TN · earthquakes near Morristown
- Magnitude
- M 2.5 (md)
- Depth
- 4.8 km below the surface
- Felt
- 4 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
- Nearest
- Hamblen County, 5 km NE
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1562 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Morristown, TN
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Alerts are on for .
Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
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 45 km (28 mi) from the epicentre. In Morristown, 3 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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: Mascot 42 km, intensity II · Sevierville 42 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 160 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.5 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 95,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 68,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 6× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.5 about 160 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 36.1890, -83.3103. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamblen County, TN | 5 km (3 mi) | NE | earthquakes near Hamblen County |
| Jefferson County, TN | 20 km (12 mi) | SW | earthquakes near Jefferson County |
| Grainger County, TN | 20 km (13 mi) | WNW | earthquakes near Grainger County |
| Cocke County, TN | 35 km (22 mi) | SSE | earthquakes near Cocke County |
| Hancock County, TN | 38 km (23 mi) | NNE | earthquakes near Hancock County |
| Greene County, TN | 42 km (26 mi) | E | earthquakes near Greene County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
52 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 2.5 5 km ENE of Rutledge, Tennessee
- 2.1 7 km NNW of New Market, Tennessee
- 1.8 6 km NW of Mascot, Tennessee
- 2.0 3 km ENE of Mosheim, Tennessee
- 1.7 5 km WNW of Sevierville, Tennessee
- 2.2 5 km W of Sevierville, Tennessee
- 2.2 5 km NNW of Greeneville, Tennessee
- 2.6 2 km SSE of Mascot, Tennessee
- 3.0 7 km SW of New Tazewell, Tennessee
- 2.4 7 km SW of Mascot, Tennessee
- 3.4 7 km NE of Maynardville, Tennessee
- 2.0 8 km SE of Rutledge, Tennessee
- 2.2 1 km SSW of Morristown, Tennessee
- 2.5 3 km E of Rutledge, Tennessee
- 2.5 3 km E of Rutledge, 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
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.