QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.2md

Earthquake near Seymour, TN

No earthquake was likely felt in Seymour in the 24 hours to 9:12 am EST (14:12 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 12 km (7 mi) SE, at 7:03 pm EST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Seymour

This page: a magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) west of Seymour, TN, at 5:42 am EDT on 30 May 2021 (09:42 UTC), 12 km deep.

USGS: 5 km W of Seymour, Tennessee

17 km (11 mi) ESE of Knoxville, TN

5:42 am EDT, May 30, 2021 · · 12 km deep · released about 62 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Knox County 18 kmBlount County 26 kmSevier County 26 kmJefferson County 35 kmUnion County 44 kmAnderson County 45 kmSwain County 46 kmGrainger County 49 kmLoudon County 51 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
5:42 am EDT on 30 May 2021 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) west of Seymour, TN · earthquakes near Seymour
Magnitude
M 2.2 (md)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Knox County, 18 km NW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1991 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 31 km (19 mi) from the epicentre. In Seymour, 5 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: Seymour 5 km, intensity II · Knoxville 14 km, intensity II · Mascot 19 km, intensity II · Sevierville 20 km, intensity II · Maryville 23 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 62 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 240,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 170,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 15× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.2 about 62 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 35.8935, -83.7845. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Knox County, TN 18 km (11 mi) NW earthquakes near Knox County
Blount County, TN 26 km (16 mi) SSW earthquakes near Blount County
Sevier County, TN 26 km (16 mi) ESE earthquakes near Sevier County
Jefferson County, TN 35 km (22 mi) ENE earthquakes near Jefferson County
Union County, TN 44 km (27 mi) N earthquakes near Union County
Anderson County, TN 45 km (28 mi) NW earthquakes near Anderson 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. 2.4 Tennessee-North Carolina border region
  2. 2.5 4 km NNE of Greenback, Tennessee
  3. 2.1 Tennessee
  4. 2.2 1 km S of Garland, Tennessee
  5. 2.1 10 km SSE of Pittman Center, Tennessee
  6. 2.6 Kentucky-Tennessee border region
  7. 2.7 3 km S of Blaine, Tennessee
  8. 2.0 3 km SSW of Maryville, Tennessee
  9. 2.1 5 km S of Greenback, Tennessee
  10. 1.8 6 km NNW of Farragut, Tennessee
  11. 2.5 Tennessee
  12. 1.7 3 km NE of Greenback, Tennessee
  13. 1.8 Tennessee
  14. 1.8 4 km NE of Vonore, Tennessee
  15. 2.2 Kentucky-Tennessee border region

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.