QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.4md

Earthquake near Hunter, TN

No earthquake was likely felt in Hunter in the 24 hours to 5:05 am EST (10:05 UTC). The last one was M 4.1, 188 km (117 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 Hunter

This page: a magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 9 km (6 mi) north of Hunter, TN, at 1:39 am EST on 11 January 2019 (06:39 UTC), 11 km deep. 24 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 9 km N of Hunter, Tennessee

24 km (15 mi) ENE of Johnson City, TN

1:39 am EST, Jan 11, 2019 · · 11 km deep · released about 100 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Sullivan County 15 kmBristol city 18 kmCarter County 19 kmJohnson County 26 kmWashington County 36 kmWashington County 37 kmWatauga County 46 kmUnicoi County 46 kmAvery County 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
1:39 am EST on 11 January 2019 ()
Where
9 km (6 mi) north of Hunter, TN · earthquakes near Hunter
Magnitude
M 2.4 (md)
Depth
11 km below the surface
Felt
24 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Sullivan County, 15 km WNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2780 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 38 km (24 mi) from the epicentre. In Hunter, 9 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: Bluff City, Elizabethton, Bristol, Walnut Hill, Bristol, Blountville.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 100 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.4 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 150,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 110,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 9.4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.4 about 100 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 36.4542, -82.1483. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Sullivan County, TN 15 km (9 mi) WNW earthquakes near Sullivan County
Bristol city, VA 18 km (11 mi) N earthquakes near Bristol city
Carter County, TN 19 km (12 mi) S earthquakes near Carter County
Johnson County, TN 26 km (16 mi) E earthquakes near Johnson County
Washington County, TN 36 km (22 mi) WSW earthquakes near Washington County
Washington County, VA 37 km (23 mi) NNE earthquakes near Washington County

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

Aftershocks so far

8 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. 1.9 1 km SW of Fall Branch, Tennessee
  4. 2.2 8 km WNW of Roan Mountain, Tennessee
  5. 2.2 8 km ENE of Mountain City, Tennessee
  6. 2.6 9 km SSW of Abingdon, Virginia
  7. 1.6 8 km SSE of Banner Hill, Tennessee
  8. 2.3 1 km SW of Nickelsville, Virginia

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.