Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.2md
Earthquake near Middlesboro, KY
USGS: 18 km WSW of Middlesboro, Kentucky
62 km (39 mi) N of Knoxville, TN
- When
- 11:48 am EST on 2 December 2016 ()
- Where
- 18 km (11 mi) WSW of Middlesboro, KY · earthquakes near Middlesboro
- Magnitude
- M 2.2 (md)
- Depth
- 22 km below the surface
- Felt
- 5 reports · strongest reported intensity III
- Nearest
- Claiborne County, 21 km E
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3501 days ago
A magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded 18 km (11 mi) WSW of Middlesboro, KY, at 11:48 am EST on 2 December 2016 (16:48 UTC). 5 people have reported feeling it to USGS. This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.
Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Speedwell, Fincastle, Jellico, Harrogate, LaFollette, New Tazewell.
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.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 240,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 170,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 15× the energy of this one
- 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 36.5268, -83.8930. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claiborne County, TN | 21 km (13 mi) | E | earthquakes near Claiborne County |
| Union County, TN | 27 km (17 mi) | S | earthquakes near Union County |
| Campbell County, TN | 28 km (17 mi) | WSW | earthquakes near Campbell County |
| Bell County, KY | 29 km (18 mi) | NE | earthquakes near Bell County |
| Whitley County, KY | 34 km (21 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Whitley County |
| Knox County, KY | 40 km (25 mi) | N | earthquakes near Knox County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
50 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 1.9 1 km NE of Rutledge, Tennessee
- 1.9 1 km WSW of Plainview, Tennessee
- 2.6 Kentucky-Tennessee border region
- 2.7 3 km S of Blaine, Tennessee
- 2.8 Kentucky-Tennessee border region
- 2.0 3 km E of Rutledge, Tennessee
- 2.2 Kentucky-Tennessee border region
- 2.3 4 km E of Harrogate, Tennessee
- 2.2 12 km SW of Pathfork, Kentucky
- 2.0 6 km WSW of New Tazewell, Tennessee
- 1.8 6 km NNW of Mascot, Tennessee
- 2.1 6 km NNW of Mascot, Tennessee
- 2.5 Kentucky-Tennessee border region
- 2.8 8 km NW of Fincastle, Tennessee
- 2.4 3 km W of Artemus, Kentucky
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.