QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3md

Earthquake near New Market, TN

No earthquake was likely felt in New Market in the 24 hours to 5:05 pm EST (22:05 UTC). The last one was M 2.3, 20 km (12 mi) N, at 2:41 am EDT on 9 July 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1 felt report to USGS. Every earthquake near New Market

This page: a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded 8 km (5 mi) west of New Market, TN, at 4:24 pm EDT on 9 October 2020 (20:24 UTC), 16 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 7 km W of New Market, Tennessee

32 km (20 mi) ENE of Knoxville, TN

4:24 pm EDT, Oct 9, 2020 · · 16 km deep · released about 85 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Jefferson County 19 kmGrainger County 23 kmUnion County 27 kmKnox County 30 kmHamblen County 36 kmSevier County 36 kmClaiborne County 44 kmAnderson County 50 kmCocke County 51 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
4:24 pm EDT on 9 October 2020 ()
Where
8 km (5 mi) west of New Market, TN · earthquakes near New Market
Magnitude
M 2.3 (md)
Depth
16 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Jefferson County, 19 km ESE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2219 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 33 km (21 mi) from the epicentre. In New Market, 8 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.

Likely felt in: Mascot 11 km, intensity II · Seymour 25 km, intensity II · Sevierville 27 km, intensity II · Knoxville 30 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 85 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 5.8 180,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 130,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 11× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.3 about 85 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 36.1018, -83.6378. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Jefferson County, TN 19 km (12 mi) ESE earthquakes near Jefferson County
Grainger County, TN 23 km (14 mi) NNE earthquakes near Grainger County
Union County, TN 27 km (17 mi) NW earthquakes near Union County
Knox County, TN 30 km (18 mi) WSW earthquakes near Knox County
Hamblen County, TN 36 km (22 mi) ENE earthquakes near Hamblen County
Sevier County, TN 36 km (23 mi) SSE earthquakes near Sevier County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 Tennessee-North Carolina border region
  2. 2.4 Kentucky-Tennessee border region
  3. 2.4 10 km SW of Gatlinburg, Tennessee
  4. 2.4 Tennessee-North Carolina border region
  5. 2.6 Kentucky-Tennessee border region
  6. 2.7 3 km S of Blaine, Tennessee
  7. 2.8 Kentucky-Tennessee border region
  8. 2.0 3 km E of Rutledge, Tennessee
  9. 2.2 Kentucky-Tennessee border region
  10. 2.4 0 km NE of Alcoa, Tennessee
  11. 2.2 1 km SE of Alcoa, Tennessee
  12. 2.4 6 km W of Pittman Center, Tennessee
  13. 2.3 1 km NNW of Wildwood, Tennessee
  14. 2.1 2 km NW of Wildwood, Tennessee
  15. 2.6 9 km ENE of Garland, 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.