QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.5md

Earthquake near Maryville, TN

No earthquake was likely felt in Maryville in the 24 hours to 11:54 pm EST (04:54 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 15 km (9 mi) NNE, at 2:55 pm EST on 5 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Maryville

This page: a magnitude 2.5 earthquake was recorded 7 km (5 mi) southeast of Maryville, TN, at 7:45 am EDT on 13 September 2020 (11:45 UTC), 18 km deep. 11 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 7 km SE of Maryville, Tennessee

30 km (18 mi) S of Knoxville, TN

7:45 am EDT, Sep 13, 2020 · · 18 km deep · released about 150 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Blount County 2 kmKnox County 32 kmLoudon County 36 kmSevier County 37 kmGraham County 41 kmMonroe County 42 kmSwain County 44 kmAnderson County 52 kmRoane County 57 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
7:45 am EDT on 13 September 2020 ()
Where
7 km (5 mi) southeast of Maryville, TN · earthquakes near Maryville
Magnitude
M 2.5 (md)
Depth
18 km below the surface
Felt
11 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Blount County, 2 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2181 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 41 km (25 mi) from the epicentre. In Maryville, 7 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: Maryville 7 km, intensity II · Seymour 27 km, intensity II · Knoxville 28 km, intensity II · Farragut 29 km, intensity II · Sevierville 37 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 150 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 99,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 70,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 6.2× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.5 about 150 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 35.7063, -83.9168. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Blount County, TN 2 km (1 mi) SSW earthquakes near Blount County
Knox County, TN 32 km (20 mi) N earthquakes near Knox County
Loudon County, TN 36 km (22 mi) W earthquakes near Loudon County
Sevier County, TN 37 km (23 mi) ENE earthquakes near Sevier County
Graham County, NC 41 km (25 mi) S earthquakes near Graham County
Monroe County, TN 42 km (26 mi) SW earthquakes near Monroe County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.1 2 km NW of Wildwood, Tennessee
  2. 2.1 1 km SW of Tellico Village, Tennessee
  3. 1.9 6 km NW of Lenoir City, Tennessee
  4. 2.6 9 km ENE of Garland, Tennessee
  5. 1.6 2 km ENE of Loudon, Tennessee
  6. 1.8 6 km NW of Vonore, Tennessee
  7. 1.8 5 km SSW of Tellico Village, Tennessee
  8. 2.5 8 km WSW of New Market, Tennessee
  9. 1.5 12 km ESE of Madisonville, Tennessee
  10. 2.4 7 km NNE of Garland, Tennessee
  11. 1.6 7 km ESE of Vonore, Tennessee
  12. 1.7 6 km E of Townsend, Tennessee
  13. 2.5 Tennessee-North Carolina border region
  14. 2.7 19 km NNW of Lake Santeetlah, North Carolina
  15. 1.9 6 km E 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.