QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0md

Earthquake near Johnson City, TN

No earthquake was likely felt in Johnson City in the 24 hours to 7:29 am EST (12:29 UTC). The last one was M 4.1, 170 km (106 mi) WSW, at 9:04 am EDT on 10 May 2025, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 45,935 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Johnson City

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 39 km (24 mi) east-southeast of Johnson City, TN, at 10:33 pm EST on 10 November 2018 (03:33 UTC), 8.9 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 4 km NW of Beech Mountain, North Carolina

42 km (26 mi) ESE of Johnson City, TN · 150 km (93 mi) NW of Concord, NC

10:33 pm EST, Nov 10, 2018 · · 8.9 km deep · released about 33 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Johnson City Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Avery County 18 kmCarter County 19 kmWatauga County 20 kmJohnson County 25 kmMitchell County 33 kmAshe County 45 kmSullivan County 45 kmUnicoi County 47 kmBristol city 47 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
10:33 pm EST on 10 November 2018 ()
Where
39 km (24 mi) east-southeast of Johnson City, TN · earthquakes near Johnson City
North Carolina today
every earthquake in North Carolina in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.0 (md)
Depth
8.9 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Avery County, 18 km S
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2851 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 24 km (15 mi) from the epicentre. In Johnson City, 39 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: Banner Elk, Roan Mountain, Foscoe, Boone, Blowing Rock, Hunter.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 33 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 5.8 450,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 320,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 29× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 33 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 36.2367, -81.9283. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Avery County, NC 18 km (11 mi) S earthquakes near Avery County
Carter County, TN 19 km (12 mi) WNW earthquakes near Carter County
Watauga County, NC 20 km (12 mi) E earthquakes near Watauga County
Johnson County, TN 25 km (15 mi) NNE earthquakes near Johnson County
Mitchell County, NC 33 km (20 mi) SW earthquakes near Mitchell County
Ashe County, NC 45 km (28 mi) ENE earthquakes near Ashe 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.

  1. 1.7 6 km WSW of Newland, North Carolina
  2. 1.8 8 km W of Bakersville, North Carolina
  3. 2.2 13 km NNW of Cedar Rock, North Carolina
  4. 2.2 8 km WNW of Roan Mountain, Tennessee
  5. 1.8 9 km SSE of West Jefferson, North Carolina
  6. 2.0 7 km N of Spruce Pine, North Carolina
  7. 2.1 5 km NNE of Blowing Rock, North Carolina
  8. 1.8 9 km E of Bakersville, North Carolina
  9. 2.2 8 km ENE of Mountain City, Tennessee
  10. 2.6 9 km SSW of Abingdon, Virginia
  11. 2.0 0 km SSE of Spruce Pine, North Carolina
  12. 1.6 8 km SSE of Banner Hill, Tennessee
  13. 2.1 12 km NNW of Cedar Rock, North Carolina
  14. 2.4 9 km N of Hunter, 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.