Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 1.9md
Earthquake near Knoxville, TN
No earthquake was likely felt in Knoxville in the 24 hours to 12:44 am EST (05:44 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 9 km (5 mi) S, at 2:55 pm EST on 5 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Knoxville
This page: a magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded 2 km (1 mi) south of Knoxville, TN, at 3:49 am EST on 27 January 2020 (08:49 UTC), 8.6 km deep. 34 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 2 km S of Knoxville, Tennessee
in Knoxville, TN
- When
- 3:49 am EST on 27 January 2020 ()
- Where
- 2 km (1 mi) south of Knoxville, TN · earthquakes near Knoxville
- Magnitude
- M 1.9 (md)
- Depth
- 8.6 km below the surface
- Felt
- 34 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
- Nearest
- Knox County, 6 km NNW
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2159 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Knoxville, TN
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Alerts are on for .
Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
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 20 km (12 mi) from the epicentre. In Knoxville, 2 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.
Likely felt in: Knoxville 2 km, intensity II · Seymour 18 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 24 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.9 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 640,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 450,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 40× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 1.9 about 24 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 35.9398, -83.9177. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knox County, TN | 6 km (4 mi) | NNW | earthquakes near Knox County |
| Blount County, TN | 28 km (17 mi) | S | earthquakes near Blount County |
| Anderson County, TN | 32 km (20 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Anderson County |
| Union County, TN | 39 km (24 mi) | N | earthquakes near Union County |
| Sevier County, TN | 39 km (24 mi) | ESE | earthquakes near Sevier County |
| Loudon County, TN | 42 km (26 mi) | WSW | earthquakes near Loudon County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
46 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 1.9 7 km WSW of Maryville, Tennessee
- 2.2 5 km SE of Knoxville, Tennessee
- 2.0 3 km W of Knoxville, Tennessee
- 1.8 6 km NNW of Mascot, Tennessee
- 2.1 6 km NNW of Mascot, Tennessee
- 2.0 6 km S of Friendsville, Tennessee
- 2.0 2 km WSW of Alcoa, Tennessee
- 2.3 3 km SW of Alcoa, Tennessee
- 2.1 6 km E of Kingston, Tennessee
- 2.2 5 km W of Seymour, Tennessee
- 2.6 7 km WSW of Knoxville, Tennessee
- 1.5 11 km E of Kingston, Tennessee
- 1.8 11 km E of Kingston, Tennessee
- 2.0 2 km ESE of Friendsville, Tennessee
- 2.2 3 km W of Maryville, 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.