QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7md

Earthquake near Wildwood Lake, TN

No earthquake was likely felt in Wildwood Lake in the 24 hours to 3:35 pm EST (20:35 UTC). The last one was M 2.3, 19 km (12 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 Wildwood Lake

This page: a magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded 8 km (5 mi) east-northeast of Wildwood Lake, TN, at 10:23 pm EDT on 31 July 2023 (02:23 UTC), 12 km deep.

USGS: 8 km ENE of Wildwood Lake, Tennessee

11 km (7 mi) SE of Cleveland, TN · 44 km (27 mi) E of Chattanooga, TN

10:23 pm EDT, Jul 31, 2023 · · 12 km deep · released about 12 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Wildwood Lake Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Bradley County 8 kmPolk County 21 kmMcMinn County 36 kmMurray County 37 kmHamilton County 39 kmWhitfield County 40 kmCatoosa County 42 kmMeigs County 43 kmFannin 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
10:23 pm EDT on 31 July 2023 ()
Where
8 km (5 mi) east-northeast of Wildwood Lake, TN · earthquakes near Wildwood Lake
Magnitude
M 1.7 (md)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Bradley County, 8 km WNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1198 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 8 km (5 mi) from the epicentre. In Wildwood Lake, 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: East Cleveland, Cleveland, South Cleveland, Benton, Hopewell, Apison.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 12 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,200,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 870,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 78× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 12 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 35.1242, -84.7748. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Bradley County, TN 8 km (5 mi) WNW earthquakes near Bradley County
Polk County, TN 21 km (13 mi) E earthquakes near Polk County
McMinn County, TN 36 km (23 mi) NNE earthquakes near McMinn County
Murray County, GA 37 km (23 mi) S earthquakes near Murray County
Hamilton County, TN 39 km (24 mi) W earthquakes near Hamilton County
Whitfield County, GA 40 km (25 mi) SSW earthquakes near Whitfield County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.4 4 km NW of Cohutta, Georgia
  2. 2.1 12 km E of Benton, Tennessee
  3. 1.9 5 km ESE of Benton, Tennessee
  4. 1.8 4 km SE of Apison, Tennessee
  5. 2.2 4 km N of Englewood, Tennessee
  6. 2.0 6 km ENE of Etowah, Tennessee
  7. 2.0 1 km WSW of Collegedale, Tennessee
  8. 2.2 2 km S of Ringgold, Georgia
  9. 2.3 1 km NW of Niota, Tennessee
  10. 2.0 4 km SSW of Benton, Tennessee
  11. 2.5 4 km N of Tunnel Hill, Georgia
  12. 2.0 10 km SSW of Chatsworth, Georgia
  13. 2.0 5 km S of Englewood, Tennessee
  14. 2.4 9 km NE of Eton, Georgia
  15. 1.8 11 km SW of Tellico Plains, 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.