Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.5md
Earthquake near Etowah, TN
No earthquake was likely felt in Etowah in the 24 hours to 7:29 am EST (12:29 UTC). The last one was M 1.9, 14 km (9 mi) NW, at 6:30 am EDT on 31 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Etowah
This page: a magnitude 2.5 earthquake was recorded in Etowah, TN, at 2:05 am EDT on 26 September 2016 (06:05 UTC), 5.6 km deep. 17 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 0 km ESE of Etowah, Tennessee
72 km (45 mi) ENE of Chattanooga, TN · 36 km (22 mi) ENE of Cleveland, TN
- When
- 2:05 am EDT on 26 September 2016 ()
- Where
- in Etowah, TN · earthquakes near Etowah
- Magnitude
- M 2.5 (md)
- Depth
- 5.6 km below the surface
- Felt
- 17 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
- Nearest
- McMinn County, 15 km NW
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3619 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Etowah, TN
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Etowah, TN. No account or email needed.
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 small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.
At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 48 km (30 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: Athens 15 km, intensity III · Decatur 33 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 190 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.5 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 78,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 55,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 4.9× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.5 about 190 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 35.3207, -84.5148. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| McMinn County, TN | 15 km (9 mi) | NW | earthquakes near McMinn County |
| Polk County, TN | 24 km (15 mi) | S | earthquakes near Polk County |
| Monroe County, TN | 28 km (17 mi) | ENE | earthquakes near Monroe County |
| Meigs County, TN | 35 km (22 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Meigs County |
| Bradley County, TN | 36 km (23 mi) | WSW | earthquakes near Bradley County |
| Cherokee County, NC | 46 km (29 mi) | ESE | earthquakes near Cherokee County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
48 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 2.3 5 km SSW of Tellico Village, Tennessee
- 2.2 1 km WNW of Niota, Tennessee
- 2.4 3 km NNE of Vonore, Tennessee
- 2.6 11 km NNE of Decatur, Tennessee
- 1.5 7 km WSW of Tellico Plains, Tennessee
- 1.9 3 km S of Loudon, Tennessee
- 2.2 8 km E of Lakesite, Tennessee
- 1.7 2 km E of Niota, Tennessee
- 2.0 12 km SE of Vonore, Tennessee
- 1.5 2 km SE of Vonore, Tennessee
- 1.9 3 km ESE of Vonore, Tennessee
- 1.8 4 km NNE of Calhoun, Tennessee
- 1.5 4 km NNE of Etowah, Tennessee
- 2.4 2 km E of Loudon, Tennessee
- 1.7 7 km W of Madisonville, 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.