Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.6md
Earthquake near Blaine, TN
USGS: 4 km W of Blaine, Tennessee
26 km (16 mi) NE of Knoxville, TN
- When
- 1:46 pm EST on 13 December 2018 ()
- Where
- 4 km (3 mi) W of Blaine, TN · earthquakes near Blaine
- Magnitude
- M 2.6 (md)
- Depth
- 4.8 km below the surface
- Felt
- 10 reports · strongest reported intensity II
- Nearest
- Union County, 17 km NNW
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2768 days ago
A magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded 4 km (3 mi) W of Blaine, TN, at 1:46 pm EST on 13 December 2018 (18:46 UTC). 10 people have reported feeling it to USGS. This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.
Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Plainview, Condon, Luttrell, Mascot, Maynardville, New Market.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 280 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.6 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 53,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 38,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 3.3× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.6 about 280 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 36.1468, -83.7523. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union County, TN | 17 km (11 mi) | NNW | earthquakes near Union County |
| Knox County, TN | 24 km (15 mi) | SW | earthquakes near Knox County |
| Grainger County, TN | 26 km (16 mi) | NE | earthquakes near Grainger County |
| Jefferson County, TN | 30 km (19 mi) | ESE | earthquakes near Jefferson County |
| Anderson County, TN | 40 km (25 mi) | W | earthquakes near Anderson County |
| Claiborne County, TN | 40 km (25 mi) | NNE | earthquakes near Claiborne County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
48 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 2.5 2 km SSW of Eagleton Village, Tennessee
- 2.5 7 km WSW of New Market, Tennessee
- 2.1 2 km NNE of Maynardville, Tennessee
- 2.0 3 km SSW of Garland, Tennessee
- 2.3 0 km SW of Knoxville, Tennessee
- 2.3 7 km W of New Market, Tennessee
- 2.4 4 km ESE of Rutledge, Tennessee
- 2.4 7 km SE of Rutledge, Tennessee
- 2.0 Kentucky-Tennessee border region
- 2.6 7 km ENE of Seymour, Tennessee
- 2.4 8 km ENE of Seymour, Tennessee
- 2.1 8 km NNW of New Market, Tennessee
- 2.5 11 km WNW of Rutledge, Tennessee
- 2.5 5 km ENE of Rutledge, Tennessee
- 2.0 7 km NE of Rockford, 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
- 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.