QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3md

Earthquake near Tullahoma, TN

No earthquake was likely felt in Tullahoma in the 24 hours to 11:35 am CST (17:35 UTC). The last one was M 4.1, 202 km (126 mi) E, at 8:04 am CDT on 10 May 2025, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 45,935 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Tullahoma

This page: a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded 35 km (21 mi) east of Tullahoma, TN, at 1:08 am CDT on 15 October 2018 (06:08 UTC), 9.6 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 7 km NE of Pelham, Tennessee

1:08 am CDT, Oct 15, 2018 · · 9.6 km deep · released about 82 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Grundy County 11 kmCoffee County 27 kmMarion County 33 kmFranklin County 33 kmWarren County 36 kmSequatchie County 38 kmMoore County 49 kmVan Buren County 51 kmCannon County 54 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
1:08 am CDT on 15 October 2018 ()
Where
35 km (21 mi) east of Tullahoma, TN · earthquakes near Tullahoma
Magnitude
M 2.3 (md)
Depth
9.6 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity I
Nearest
Grundy County, 11 km ENE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2949 days ago

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 35 km (22 mi) from the epicentre. In Tullahoma, 35 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: Altamont, Monteagle, Tracy City, Gruetli-Laager, Sewanee, Cowan.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 82 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 180,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 130,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 12× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.3 about 82 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 35.3585, -85.8285. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Grundy County, TN 11 km (7 mi) ENE earthquakes near Grundy County
Coffee County, TN 27 km (17 mi) WNW earthquakes near Coffee County
Marion County, TN 33 km (20 mi) SE earthquakes near Marion County
Franklin County, TN 33 km (21 mi) SW earthquakes near Franklin County
Warren County, TN 36 km (22 mi) N earthquakes near Warren County
Sequatchie County, TN 38 km (24 mi) E earthquakes near Sequatchie County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.5 13 km NE of Beersheba Springs, Tennessee
  2. 2.1 7 km SSW of Dunlap, Tennessee
  3. 2.4 12 km S of Tracy City, Tennessee
  4. 2.3 3 km S of Lone Oak, Tennessee
  5. 2.5 6 km SSE of Sewanee, Tennessee
  6. 2.2 8 km ENE of Dunlap, Tennessee
  7. 2.2 9 km SE of Palmer, Tennessee
  8. 2.3 11 km ESE of McMinnville, Tennessee
  9. 2.3 4 km ESE of Powells Crossroads, Tennessee
  10. 2.4 10 km NNW of Kimball, Tennessee
  11. 2.8 7 km SSE of Sewanee, Tennessee
  12. 3.1 7 km SSE of Sewanee, Tennessee
  13. 2.4 Tennessee
  14. 2.5 4 km ESE of Manchester, Tennessee
  15. 2.8 5 km SSE of Wartrace, 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.