Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 1.6md
Earthquake near Cleveland, TN
No earthquake was likely felt in Cleveland in the 24 hours to 10:27 am EST (15:27 UTC). The last one was M 2.3, 16 km (10 mi) ENE, at 2:03 am EDT on 3 August 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 6 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Cleveland
This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 32 km (20 mi) southeast of Cleveland, TN, at 8:28 am EDT on 8 September 2021 (12:28 UTC), 6.5 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 16 km NE of Eton, Georgia
33 km (21 mi) SE of Cleveland, TN · 133 km (83 mi) N of Atlanta, GA
- When
- 8:28 am EDT on 8 September 2021 ()
- Where
- 32 km (20 mi) southeast of Cleveland, TN · earthquakes near Cleveland
- Magnitude
- M 1.6 (md)
- Depth
- 6.5 km below the surface
- Felt
- 1 report · strongest reported intensity II
- Nearest
- Murray County, 18 km SSW
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1755 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Cleveland, 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 it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Cleveland, 32 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: Chatsworth, Wildwood Lake, Benton, McCaysville, South Cleveland, Varnell.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 6.4 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.5 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,400,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,700,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 150× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 1.6 about 6.4 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 34.9427, -84.6518. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murray County, GA | 18 km (11 mi) | SSW | earthquakes near Murray County |
| Polk County, TN | 21 km (13 mi) | NNE | earthquakes near Polk County |
| Bradley County, TN | 30 km (19 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Bradley County |
| Fannin County, GA | 32 km (20 mi) | ESE | earthquakes near Fannin County |
| Whitfield County, GA | 33 km (20 mi) | WSW | earthquakes near Whitfield County |
| Gilmer County, GA | 33 km (21 mi) | SSE | earthquakes near Gilmer County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
51 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 2.1 12 km E of Benton, Tennessee
- 1.9 5 km ESE of Benton, Tennessee
- 1.8 4 km SE of Apison, Tennessee
- 2.0 6 km ENE of Etowah, Tennessee
- 2.0 1 km WSW of Collegedale, Tennessee
- 2.2 2 km S of Ringgold, Georgia
- 2.0 4 km SSW of Benton, Tennessee
- 2.5 4 km N of Tunnel Hill, Georgia
- 2.0 10 km SSW of Chatsworth, Georgia
- 2.4 9 km NE of Eton, Georgia
- 1.8 11 km SW of Tellico Plains, Tennessee
- 2.2 4 km WSW of Tunnel Hill, Georgia
- 2.0 3 km ESE of Etowah, Tennessee
- 2.1 11 km SW of Dalton, Georgia
- 1.9 11 km SW of Tellico Plains, 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.