Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.7md
Earthquake near Scottsboro, AL
No earthquake was likely felt in Scottsboro in the 24 hours to 6:29 am CST (12:29 UTC). The last one was M 4.1, 210 km (130 mi) ENE, at 8:04 am CDT on 10 May 2025, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 45,935 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Scottsboro
This page: a magnitude 2.7 earthquake was recorded 14 km (9 mi) northeast of Scottsboro, AL, at 10:38 am CDT on 20 October 2017 (15:38 UTC), 5.0 km deep. 11 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 5 km ENE of Hollywood, Alabama
70 km (43 mi) E of Huntsville, AL
- When
- 10:38 am CDT on 20 October 2017 ()
- Where
- 14 km (9 mi) northeast of Scottsboro, AL · earthquakes near Scottsboro
- Magnitude
- M 2.7 (md)
- Depth
- 5.0 km below the surface
- Felt
- 11 reports · strongest reported intensity III
- Nearest
- Jackson County, 6 km WNW
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3226 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Scottsboro, AL
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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 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 57 km (35 mi) from the epicentre. In Scottsboro, 14 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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: Stevenson, Henagar, Sylvania, Bridgeport, Rainsville.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 360 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.7 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 42,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 30,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 2.6× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.7 about 360 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 34.7478, -85.9157. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County, AL | 6 km (4 mi) | WNW | earthquakes near Jackson County |
| DeKalb County, AL | 34 km (21 mi) | SSE | earthquakes near DeKalb County |
| Dade County, GA | 39 km (24 mi) | ENE | earthquakes near Dade County |
| Franklin County, TN | 48 km (30 mi) | NNW | earthquakes near Franklin County |
| Marion County, TN | 51 km (32 mi) | NNE | earthquakes near Marion County |
| Walker County, GA | 56 km (35 mi) | E | earthquakes near Walker County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
31 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 2.0 14 km ENE of Mentone, Alabama
- 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
- 2.2 8 km N of Menlo, Georgia
- 2.6 8 km N of Menlo, Georgia
- 2.3 0 km NNE of Section, Alabama
- 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
- 2.0 2 km WNW of Menlo, Georgia
- 2.4 2 km WNW of Menlo, Georgia
- 1.5 12 km E of Mentone, Alabama
- 2.4 5 km SSW of Gurley, Alabama
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.