Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.4md
Earthquake near Kimball, TN
No earthquake was likely felt in Kimball in the 24 hours to 7:03 am CST (13:03 UTC). The last one was M 2.4, 13 km (8 mi) NNW, at 10:28 pm CST on 23 November 2025, estimated intensity III (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Kimball
This page: a magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 10 km (6 mi) north-northwest of Kimball, TN, at 4:05 pm CST on 22 January 2021 (22:05 UTC), 9.5 km deep. 3 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 10 km NNW of Kimball, Tennessee
43 km (27 mi) W of Chattanooga, TN
- When
- 4:05 pm CST on 22 January 2021 ()
- Where
- 10 km (6 mi) north-northwest of Kimball, TN · earthquakes near Kimball
- Magnitude
- M 2.4 (md)
- Depth
- 9.5 km below the surface
- Felt
- 3 reports · strongest reported intensity III
- Nearest
- Marion County, 10 km E
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2080 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Kimball, 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 38 km (24 mi) from the epicentre. In Kimball, 10 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: Jasper, South Pittsburg, Tracy City, New Hope, Monteagle, Whitwell.
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.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 150,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 110,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 9.4× the energy of this one
- 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 35.1337, -85.7155. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marion County, TN | 10 km (6 mi) | E | earthquakes near Marion County |
| Grundy County, TN | 29 km (18 mi) | N | earthquakes near Grundy County |
| Franklin County, TN | 35 km (22 mi) | W | earthquakes near Franklin County |
| Dade County, GA | 37 km (23 mi) | SSE | earthquakes near Dade County |
| Sequatchie County, TN | 38 km (24 mi) | NE | earthquakes near Sequatchie County |
| Hamilton County, TN | 47 km (29 mi) | E | earthquakes near Hamilton County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
16 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 2.5 13 km NE of Beersheba Springs, Tennessee
- 2.1 7 km SSW of Dunlap, Tennessee
- 2.1 11 km ESE of Trenton, Georgia
- 2.4 12 km S of Tracy City, Tennessee
- 2.0 4 km NNE of Trenton, Georgia
- 2.3 3 km S of Lone Oak, Tennessee
- 1.8 2 km SW of Chickamauga, Georgia
- 2.1 6 km SW of Bridgeport, Alabama
- 2.3 4 km NE of Stevenson, Alabama
- 2.5 7 km ENE of Stevenson, Alabama
- 2.5 6 km SSE of Sewanee, Tennessee
- 2.2 8 km ENE of Dunlap, Tennessee
- 2.2 9 km SE of Palmer, Tennessee
- 1.9 5 km SSE of Stevenson, Alabama
- 2.3 4 km ESE of Powells Crossroads, 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.