Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.6md
Earthquake near East Chattanooga, TN
No earthquake was likely felt in East Chattanooga in the 24 hours to 7:28 am EST (12:28 UTC). The last one was M 2.3, 16 km (10 mi) NW, at 5:09 am EDT on 1 July 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 2 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near East Chattanooga
This page: a magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded 38 km (24 mi) east-southeast of East Chattanooga, TN, at 2:39 am EDT on 29 April 2018 (06:39 UTC), 12 km deep. 4 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 9 km E of Cohutta, Georgia
38 km (24 mi) ESE of Chattanooga, TN · 26 km (16 mi) S of Cleveland, TN
- When
- 2:39 am EDT on 29 April 2018 ()
- Where
- 38 km (24 mi) east-southeast of East Chattanooga, TN · earthquakes near East Chattanooga
- Magnitude
- M 2.6 (md)
- Depth
- 12 km below the surface
- Felt
- 4 reports · strongest reported intensity II
- Nearest
- Whitfield County, 19 km SSW
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3031 days ago
Earthquake alerts for East Chattanooga, TN
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near East Chattanooga, 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. In East Chattanooga, 38 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: Varnell, Wildwood Lake, Apison, South Cleveland, Collegedale, Chatsworth.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 220 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.6 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 68,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 48,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 4.3× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.6 about 220 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 34.9482, -84.8530. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whitfield County, GA | 19 km (12 mi) | SSW | earthquakes near Whitfield County |
| Murray County, GA | 20 km (12 mi) | SSE | earthquakes near Murray County |
| Bradley County, TN | 23 km (14 mi) | N | earthquakes near Bradley County |
| Catoosa County, GA | 27 km (17 mi) | WSW | earthquakes near Catoosa County |
| Polk County, TN | 34 km (21 mi) | ENE | earthquakes near Polk County |
| Hamilton County, TN | 40 km (25 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Hamilton 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.
- 1.8 11 km E of Benton, Tennessee
- 2.3 4 km ESE of East Cleveland, Tennessee
- 1.9 0 km NW of LaFayette, Georgia
- 1.7 2 km ESE of Dalton, Georgia
- 2.0 16 km SW of Dalton, Georgia
- 1.9 8 km SSE of Etowah, Tennessee
- 2.9 16 km NNE of Eton, Georgia
- 1.6 13 km E of Benton, Tennessee
- 2.3 6 km N of Ducktown, Tennessee
- 1.6 16 km NE of Eton, Georgia
- 2.1 6 km NNW of Calhoun, Tennessee
- 1.8 5 km ENE of Lakesite, Tennessee
- 2.1 10 km SE of Wildwood Lake, Tennessee
- 2.5 5 km NNE of East Brainerd, Tennessee
- 2.1 4 km S of Tunnel Hill, Georgia
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.