QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.0md

Earthquake near Mascot, TN

No earthquake was likely felt in Mascot in the 24 hours to 3:29 am EST (08:29 UTC). The last one was M 2.0, 5 km (3 mi) WNW, at 5:49 am EDT on 6 July 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Mascot

This page: a magnitude 3.0 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) east-southeast of Mascot, TN, at 11:12 pm EST on 15 December 2018 (04:12 UTC), 20 km deep. 109 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 5 km ESE of Mascot, Tennessee

24 km (15 mi) ENE of Knoxville, TN

11:12 pm EST, Dec 15, 2018 · · 20 km deep · released about 990 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Mascot Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Knox County 22 kmJefferson County 23 kmUnion County 30 kmGrainger County 31 kmSevier County 32 kmHamblen County 43 kmBlount County 44 kmAnderson County 46 kmClaiborne County 52 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
11:12 pm EST on 15 December 2018 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) east-southeast of Mascot, TN · earthquakes near Mascot
Magnitude
M 3.0 (md)
Depth
20 km below the surface
Felt
109 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Knox County, 22 km WSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2807 days ago

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 71 km (44 mi) from the epicentre. In Mascot, 5 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.

Likely felt in: Mascot 5 km, intensity III · Seymour 17 km, intensity III · Knoxville 22 km, intensity III · Sevierville 22 km, intensity III · Maryville 40 km, intensity II · Farragut 45 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 990 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 340,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 15,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 11,000× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.0 about 990 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 36.0383, -83.6955. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Knox County, TN 22 km (14 mi) WSW earthquakes near Knox County
Jefferson County, TN 23 km (14 mi) E earthquakes near Jefferson County
Union County, TN 30 km (19 mi) NNW earthquakes near Union County
Grainger County, TN 31 km (20 mi) NNE earthquakes near Grainger County
Sevier County, TN 32 km (20 mi) SSE earthquakes near Sevier County
Hamblen County, TN 43 km (27 mi) ENE earthquakes near Hamblen County

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

44 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 2.3 0 km SW of Knoxville, Tennessee
  2. 2.4 10 km S of Pittman Center, Tennessee
  3. 2.3 7 km W of New Market, Tennessee
  4. 2.5 7 km SE of Maryville, Tennessee
  5. 2.4 4 km ESE of Rutledge, Tennessee
  6. 2.4 7 km SE of Rutledge, Tennessee
  7. 2.0 Kentucky-Tennessee border region
  8. 2.6 7 km ENE of Seymour, Tennessee
  9. 2.4 8 km ENE of Seymour, Tennessee
  10. 2.1 8 km NNW of New Market, Tennessee
  11. 2.5 11 km WNW of Rutledge, Tennessee
  12. 2.5 5 km ENE of Rutledge, Tennessee
  13. 2.0 7 km NE of Rockford, Tennessee
  14. 2.1 7 km NNW of New Market, Tennessee
  15. 1.8 6 km NW of Mascot, 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

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.