Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.3md
Earthquake near Knoxville, TN
No earthquake was likely felt in Knoxville in the 24 hours to 9:51 am EST (14:51 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 2.3 earthquake was recorded in Knoxville, TN, at 10:20 pm EST on 15 December 2020 (03:20 UTC), 7.1 km deep. 16 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 0 km SW of Knoxville, Tennessee
in Knoxville, TN
- When
- 10:20 pm EST on 15 December 2020 ()
- Where
- in Knoxville, TN · earthquakes near Knoxville
- Magnitude
- M 2.3 (md)
- Depth
- 7.1 km below the surface
- Felt
- 16 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
- Nearest
- Knox County, 4 km NNW
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2083 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 34 km (21 mi) from the epicentre. 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 in town, intensity III · Seymour 20 km, intensity II · Mascot 20 km, intensity II · Farragut 22 km, intensity II · Maryville 23 km, intensity II · Sevierville 34 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 72 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.3 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 210,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 150,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 13× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.3 about 72 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 35.9572, -83.9250. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knox County, TN | 4 km (3 mi) | NNW | earthquakes near Knox County |
| Blount County, TN | 30 km (19 mi) | S | earthquakes near Blount County |
| Anderson County, TN | 30 km (19 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Anderson County |
| Union County, TN | 37 km (23 mi) | NNE | earthquakes near Union County |
| Sevier County, TN | 41 km (25 mi) | ESE | earthquakes near Sevier County |
| Loudon County, TN | 43 km (27 mi) | SW | earthquakes near Loudon County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
52 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 1.9 6 km E of Vonore, Tennessee
- 1.8 6 km NNE of Oak Ridge, Tennessee
- 2.4 0 km NE of Alcoa, Tennessee
- 2.2 1 km SE of Alcoa, Tennessee
- 2.4 6 km W of Pittman Center, Tennessee
- 2.3 1 km NNW of Wildwood, Tennessee
- 2.1 2 km NW of Wildwood, Tennessee
- 2.1 1 km SW of Tellico Village, Tennessee
- 1.9 6 km NW of Lenoir City, Tennessee
- 2.6 9 km ENE of Garland, Tennessee
- 1.6 2 km ENE of Loudon, Tennessee
- 1.8 6 km NW of Vonore, Tennessee
- 1.8 5 km SSW of Tellico Village, Tennessee
- 2.5 8 km WSW of New Market, Tennessee
- 2.4 7 km NNE of Garland, 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.