QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1md

Earthquake near Luttrell, TN

USGS: 3 km NW of Luttrell, Tennessee

32 km (20 mi) NNE of Knoxville, TN

5:16 am EST, Feb 21, 2018 · · 21 km deep · released about 43 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Union County 9 kmGrainger County 24 kmKnox County 29 kmClaiborne County 33 kmJefferson County 35 kmAnderson County 40 kmCampbell County 40 kmHamblen County 45 kmSevier 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
5:16 am EST on 21 February 2018 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) NW of Luttrell, TN · earthquakes near Luttrell
Magnitude
M 2.1 (md)
Depth
21 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Union County, 9 km NW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3056 days ago

A magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) NW of Luttrell, TN, at 5:16 am EST on 21 February 2018 (10:16 UTC). 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS. This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Maynardville, Condon, Plainview, Blaine, Mascot, New Market.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 43 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 5.8 350,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 250,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 22× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 43 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 36.2187, -83.7702. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Union County, TN 9 km (6 mi) NW earthquakes near Union County
Grainger County, TN 24 km (15 mi) ENE earthquakes near Grainger County
Knox County, TN 29 km (18 mi) SSW earthquakes near Knox County
Claiborne County, TN 33 km (20 mi) NNE earthquakes near Claiborne County
Jefferson County, TN 35 km (22 mi) ESE earthquakes near Jefferson County
Anderson County, TN 40 km (25 mi) WSW earthquakes near Anderson County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.5 7 km WSW of New Market, Tennessee
  2. 2.1 2 km NNE of Maynardville, Tennessee
  3. 2.3 0 km SW of Knoxville, Tennessee
  4. 2.3 7 km W of New Market, Tennessee
  5. 2.4 4 km ESE of Rutledge, Tennessee
  6. 2.4 7 km SE of Rutledge, Tennessee
  7. 2.0 Kentucky-Tennessee border region
  8. 2.6 7 km ENE of Seymour, Tennessee
  9. 2.4 8 km ENE of Seymour, Tennessee
  10. 2.1 8 km NNW of New Market, Tennessee
  11. 2.5 11 km WNW of Rutledge, Tennessee
  12. 2.5 5 km ENE of Rutledge, Tennessee
  13. 2.0 7 km NE of Rockford, Tennessee
  14. 2.1 7 km NNW of New Market, Tennessee
  15. 1.8 6 km NW of Mascot, 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.