QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0md

Earthquake near LaFayette, GA

USGS: 5 km W of Linwood, Georgia

40 km (25 mi) SSW of Chattanooga, TN

3:58 am EDT, May 22, 2018 · · 5.8 km deep · released about 35 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near LaFayette Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Walker County 5 kmDade County 21 kmChattooga County 27 kmCatoosa County 28 kmWhitfield County 36 kmGordon County 49 kmDeKalb County 50 kmMarion County 51 kmHamilton County 51 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
3:58 am EDT on 22 May 2018 ()
Where
6 km (4 mi) WNW of LaFayette, GA · earthquakes near LaFayette
Magnitude
M 2.0 (md)
Depth
5.8 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Walker County, 5 km ENE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3028 days ago

A magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 6 km (4 mi) WNW of LaFayette, GA, at 3:58 am EDT on 22 May 2018 (07:58 UTC). This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Chickamauga, Trion, Trenton, Chattanooga Valley, Fairview, Summerville.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 35 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 440,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 310,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 28× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 35 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 34.7178, -85.3503. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Walker County, GA 5 km (3 mi) ENE earthquakes near Walker County
Dade County, GA 21 km (13 mi) NW earthquakes near Dade County
Chattooga County, GA 27 km (17 mi) S earthquakes near Chattooga County
Catoosa County, GA 28 km (17 mi) NE earthquakes near Catoosa County
Whitfield County, GA 36 km (22 mi) ENE earthquakes near Whitfield County
Gordon County, GA 49 km (31 mi) ESE earthquakes near Gordon County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.2 8 km SSW of Dalton, Georgia
  2. 2.1 6 km SW of Bridgeport, Alabama
  3. 2.3 4 km NE of Stevenson, Alabama
  4. 2.2 3 km ENE of East Brainerd, Tennessee
  5. 2.5 7 km ENE of Stevenson, Alabama
  6. 1.9 Alabama
  7. 2.3 8 km W of Tunnel Hill, Georgia
  8. 2.0 2 km SSE of Varnell, Georgia
  9. 2.0 2 km WNW of Menlo, Georgia
  10. 2.4 2 km WNW of Menlo, Georgia
  11. 1.5 12 km E of Mentone, Alabama
  12. 2.0 8 km N of Trion, Georgia
  13. 1.5 13 km SW of Dalton, Georgia
  14. 2.0 13 km SW of Dalton, Georgia
  15. 2.3 13 km SW of Dalton, Georgia

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.