QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.5md

Earthquake near New Market, TN

No earthquake was likely felt in New Market in the 24 hours to 4:25 am EST (09:25 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 2.5 earthquake was recorded 9 km (5 mi) west-southwest of New Market, TN, at 9:28 am EDT on 17 March 2022 (13:28 UTC), 20 km deep. 16 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 8 km WSW of New Market, Tennessee

30 km (19 mi) ENE of Knoxville, TN

9:28 am EDT, Mar 17, 2022 · · 20 km deep · released about 170 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Jefferson County 17 kmGrainger County 26 kmKnox County 28 kmUnion County 30 kmSevier County 32 kmHamblen County 37 kmClaiborne County 49 kmCocke County 49 kmBlount County 49 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
9:28 am EDT on 17 March 2022 ()
Where
9 km (5 mi) west-southwest of New Market, TN · earthquakes near New Market
Magnitude
M 2.5 (md)
Depth
20 km below the surface
Felt
16 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Jefferson County, 17 km E
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1629 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 42 km (26 mi) from the epicentre. In New Market, 9 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 10 km, intensity II · Seymour 21 km, intensity II · Sevierville 23 km, intensity II · Knoxville 28 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 170 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 89,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 63,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 5.6× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.5 about 170 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 36.0642, -83.6347. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Jefferson County, TN 17 km (11 mi) E earthquakes near Jefferson County
Grainger County, TN 26 km (16 mi) NNE earthquakes near Grainger County
Knox County, TN 28 km (18 mi) WSW earthquakes near Knox County
Union County, TN 30 km (19 mi) NW earthquakes near Union County
Sevier County, TN 32 km (20 mi) SSE earthquakes near Sevier County
Hamblen County, TN 37 km (23 mi) ENE earthquakes near Hamblen County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 8 km ENE of Knoxville, Tennessee
  2. 2.0 8 km W of Seymour, Tennessee
  3. 2.3 16 km N of Maynardville, Tennessee
  4. 2.1 8 km ENE of Seymour, Tennessee
  5. 1.8 5 km S of Louisville, Tennessee
  6. 2.4 5 km NNE of Bean Station, Tennessee
  7. 2.3 2 km ENE of Rutledge, Tennessee
  8. 2.1 9 km ENE of Rutledge, Tennessee
  9. 2.1 4 km WNW of Dandridge, Tennessee
  10. 1.8 12 km W of New Tazewell, Tennessee
  11. 2.1 1 km SW of Sevierville, Tennessee
  12. 2.0 0 km WSW of Alcoa, Tennessee
  13. 2.1 7 km ENE of Rutledge, Tennessee
  14. 2.5 4 km SSE of Sevierville, Tennessee
  15. 1.9 8 km WNW of Rutledge, 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.