Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.1md
Earthquake near Middlesboro, KY
No earthquake was likely felt in Middlesboro in the 24 hours to 7:29 am EST (12:29 UTC). The last one was M 2.6, 11 km (7 mi) SW, at 3:07 pm EST on 4 January 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 5 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Middlesboro
This page: a magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 36 km (23 mi) north-northeast of Middlesboro, KY, at 8:07 pm EDT on 7 October 2018 (00:07 UTC), 20 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 16 km NE of Flat Lick, Kentucky
- When
- 8:07 pm EDT on 7 October 2018 ()
- Where
- 36 km (23 mi) north-northeast of Middlesboro, KY · earthquakes near Middlesboro
- Kentucky today
- every earthquake in Kentucky in the last 24 hours
- Magnitude
- M 2.1 (md)
- Depth
- 20 km below the surface
- Felt
- 1 report · strongest reported intensity I
- Nearest
- Knox County, 20 km WSW
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2956 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Middlesboro, KY
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Middlesboro, KY. No account or email needed.
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 21 km (13 mi) from the epicentre. In Middlesboro, 36 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: Pineville, Barbourville, Manchester, Harlan.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 46 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.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 330,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 230,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 21× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.1 about 46 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 36.9282, -83.6317. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knox County, KY | 20 km (13 mi) | WSW | earthquakes near Knox County |
| Bell County, KY | 23 km (14 mi) | S | earthquakes near Bell County |
| Clay County, KY | 27 km (17 mi) | NNW | earthquakes near Clay County |
| Leslie County, KY | 28 km (17 mi) | NE | earthquakes near Leslie County |
| Harlan County, KY | 37 km (23 mi) | ESE | earthquakes near Harlan County |
| Claiborne County, TN | 48 km (30 mi) | S | earthquakes near Claiborne County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
14 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 2.1 5 km ESE of Pineville, Kentucky
- 2.6 11 km SW of Middlesboro, Kentucky
- 2.5 9 km NE of Flat Lick, Kentucky
- 2.4 5 km ENE of Harrogate, Tennessee
- 2.7 18 km SSE of Hyden, Kentucky
- 2.0 8 km SW of Cawood, Kentucky
- 2.3 4 km E of Harrogate, Tennessee
- 2.2 12 km SW of Pathfork, Kentucky
- 2.2 10 km WSW of Hyden, Kentucky
- 2.0 1 km SSW of Cawood, Kentucky
- 2.4 3 km W of Artemus, Kentucky
- 2.3 4 km W of Evarts, Kentucky
- 2.5 10 km NNW of North Corbin, Kentucky
- 2.6 5 km ENE of Pleasant View, Kentucky
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.