QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3md

Earthquake near South Cleveland, TN

No earthquake was likely felt in South Cleveland in the 24 hours to 9:12 am EST (14:12 UTC). The last one was M 2.3, 20 km (13 mi) NE, at 2:03 am EDT on 3 August 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 6 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near South Cleveland

This page: a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) northeast of South Cleveland, TN, at 1:59 pm EDT on 19 July 2019 (17:59 UTC), 25 km deep.

USGS: 1 km E of South Cleveland, Tennessee

in Cleveland, TN · 37 km (23 mi) ENE of Chattanooga, TN

1:59 pm EDT, Jul 19, 2019 · · 25 km deep · released about 72 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Bradley County 2 kmPolk County 29 kmHamilton County 31 kmCatoosa County 37 kmMcMinn County 38 kmWhitfield County 39 kmMurray County 40 kmMeigs County 42 kmRhea 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
1:59 pm EDT on 19 July 2019 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) northeast of South Cleveland, TN · earthquakes near South Cleveland
Magnitude
M 2.3 (md)
Depth
25 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Bradley County, 2 km N
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2672 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 25 km (16 mi) from the epicentre. In South Cleveland, 5 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: East Cleveland, Cleveland, Wildwood Lake, Hopewell, Benton, Apison.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 72 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 210,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 150,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 13× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.3 about 72 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 35.1400, -84.8573. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Bradley County, TN 2 km (1 mi) N earthquakes near Bradley County
Polk County, TN 29 km (18 mi) E earthquakes near Polk County
Hamilton County, TN 31 km (20 mi) W earthquakes near Hamilton County
Catoosa County, GA 37 km (23 mi) SW earthquakes near Catoosa County
McMinn County, TN 38 km (24 mi) NE earthquakes near McMinn County
Whitfield County, GA 39 km (24 mi) SSW earthquakes near Whitfield County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 8 km SSE of Etowah, Tennessee
  2. 1.8 4 km W of Athens, Tennessee
  3. 2.9 16 km NNE of Eton, Georgia
  4. 2.0 5 km E of Riceville, Tennessee
  5. 1.6 13 km E of Benton, Tennessee
  6. 2.3 6 km N of Ducktown, Tennessee
  7. 1.6 16 km NE of Eton, Georgia
  8. 2.8 6 km SE of Englewood, Tennessee
  9. 2.1 6 km NNW of Calhoun, Tennessee
  10. 1.8 5 km ENE of Lakesite, Tennessee
  11. 2.1 9 km ENE of Dayton, Tennessee
  12. 2.1 10 km SE of Wildwood Lake, Tennessee
  13. 2.5 5 km NNE of East Brainerd, Tennessee
  14. 2.1 4 km S of Tunnel Hill, Georgia
  15. 2.1 7 km NNE of Benton, 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.