QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0md

Earthquake near Vonore, TN

No earthquake was likely felt in Vonore in the 24 hours to 7:29 am EST (12:29 UTC). The last one was M 1.9, 8 km (5 mi) NW, at 6:50 am EDT on 12 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Vonore

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 12 km (7 mi) southeast of Vonore, TN, at 10:41 am EDT on 14 July 2020 (14:41 UTC), 11 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 11 km SE of Vonore, Tennessee

56 km (35 mi) SSW of Knoxville, TN

10:41 am EDT, Jul 14, 2020 · · 11 km deep · released about 30 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Monroe County 10 kmLoudon County 29 kmBlount County 30 kmGraham County 35 kmCherokee County 42 kmMcMinn County 42 kmRoane County 50 kmPolk County 55 kmKnox County 58 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
10:41 am EDT on 14 July 2020 ()
Where
12 km (7 mi) southeast of Vonore, TN · earthquakes near Vonore
Magnitude
M 2.0 (md)
Depth
11 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity I
Nearest
Monroe County, 10 km SW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2311 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 22 km (14 mi) from the epicentre. In Vonore, 12 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: Greenback, Madisonville, Tellico Village, Sweetwater, Loudon.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 30 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 500,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 350,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 32× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 30 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 35.5028, -84.1660. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Monroe County, TN 10 km (6 mi) SW earthquakes near Monroe County
Loudon County, TN 29 km (18 mi) NNW earthquakes near Loudon County
Blount County, TN 30 km (19 mi) NE earthquakes near Blount County
Graham County, NC 35 km (22 mi) ESE earthquakes near Graham County
Cherokee County, NC 42 km (26 mi) SSE earthquakes near Cherokee County
McMinn County, TN 42 km (26 mi) WSW earthquakes near McMinn County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 5 km E of Riceville, Tennessee
  2. 1.7 6 km E of Townsend, Tennessee
  3. 2.5 Tennessee-North Carolina border region
  4. 1.6 13 km E of Benton, Tennessee
  5. 2.7 19 km NNW of Lake Santeetlah, North Carolina
  6. 1.9 7 km S of Sweetwater, Tennessee
  7. 2.3 6 km N of Ducktown, Tennessee
  8. 1.9 6 km E of Friendsville, Tennessee
  9. 1.5 14 km SE of Vonore, Tennessee
  10. 2.8 6 km SE of Englewood, Tennessee
  11. 1.5 5 km ENE of Niota, Tennessee
  12. 2.0 3 km SSW of Tellico Village, Tennessee
  13. 2.1 11 km S of Oak Ridge, Tennessee
  14. 1.9 7 km WSW of Maryville, Tennessee
  15. 2.0 6 km S of Friendsville, 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.