QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0md

Earthquake near Rockwood, TN

No earthquake was likely felt in Rockwood in the 24 hours to 4:12 am CST (10:12 UTC). The last one was M 2.4, 29 km (18 mi) E, at 12:54 am CDT on 30 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 3 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Rockwood

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 8 km (5 mi) south-southeast of Rockwood, TN, at 7:08 pm CDT on 25 May 2019 (00:08 UTC), 28 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 7 km SSE of Rockwood, Tennessee

67 km (41 mi) WSW of Knoxville, TN

7:08 pm CDT, May 25, 2019 · · 28 km deep · released about 36 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Roane County 13 kmLoudon County 32 kmRhea County 34 kmCumberland County 35 kmMeigs County 35 kmMorgan County 38 kmMcMinn County 42 kmMonroe County 54 kmBledsoe 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
7:08 pm CDT on 25 May 2019 ()
Where
8 km (5 mi) south-southeast of Rockwood, TN · earthquakes near Rockwood
Magnitude
M 2.0 (md)
Depth
28 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity I
Nearest
Roane County, 13 km ENE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2726 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Rockwood, 8 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: Midtown, Kingston, Harriman, Spring City, Sweetwater.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 36 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 5.8 420,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 300,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 27× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 36 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.4 on 2018-12-12 — about 3,300 times the energy of this one.

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 35.8003, -84.6597. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Roane County, TN 13 km (8 mi) ENE earthquakes near Roane County
Loudon County, TN 32 km (20 mi) ESE earthquakes near Loudon County
Rhea County, TN 34 km (21 mi) SW earthquakes near Rhea County
Cumberland County, TN 35 km (22 mi) WNW earthquakes near Cumberland County
Meigs County, TN 35 km (22 mi) SSW earthquakes near Meigs County
Morgan County, TN 38 km (23 mi) N earthquakes near Morgan County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 5 km ENE of Sweetwater, Tennessee
  2. 1.8 6 km S of Friendsville, Tennessee
  3. 1.6 11 km WNW of Sweetwater, Tennessee
  4. 1.9 1 km NW of Niota, Tennessee
  5. 2.0 3 km SE of Tellico Village, Tennessee
  6. 1.9 11 km SSW of Decatur, Tennessee
  7. 2.0 3 km SSW of Garland, Tennessee
  8. 1.6 7 km WSW of Tellico Village, Tennessee
  9. 2.3 5 km NE of Greenback, Tennessee
  10. 2.2 7 km SE of Dayton, Tennessee
  11. 1.6 3 km ENE of Philadelphia, Tennessee
  12. 2.4 16 km E of Spring City, Tennessee
  13. 2.0 3 km SSW of Loudon, Tennessee
  14. 2.1 6 km S of Sweetwater, Tennessee
  15. 1.9 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.