QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7md

Earthquake near LaFayette, GA

No earthquake was likely felt in LaFayette in the 24 hours to 10:29 am EST (15:29 UTC). The last one was M 2.0, 4 km (2 mi) SW, at 7:53 am EST on 9 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near LaFayette

This page: a magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded 7 km (4 mi) west of LaFayette, GA, at 1:47 pm EST on 8 November 2025 (18:47 UTC), 4.8 km deep.

USGS: 6 km W of Linwood, Georgia

41 km (26 mi) SSW of Chattanooga, TN

1:47 pm EST, Nov 8, 2025 · · 4.8 km deep · released about 10 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Walker County 6 kmDade County 21 kmChattooga County 26 kmCatoosa County 29 kmWhitfield County 37 kmGordon County 49 kmDeKalb County 49 kmFloyd County 51 kmMarion County 52 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
1:47 pm EST on 8 November 2025 ()
Where
7 km (4 mi) west of LaFayette, GA · earthquakes near LaFayette
Magnitude
M 1.7 (md)
Depth
4.8 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Walker County, 6 km NE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 367 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 11 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In LaFayette, 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Trion, Chickamauga, Trenton, Summerville, Chattanooga Valley, Fairview.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 10 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 1,500,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,100,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 95× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 10 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 34.7050, -85.3555. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Walker County, GA 6 km (4 mi) NE earthquakes near Walker County
Dade County, GA 21 km (13 mi) NW earthquakes near Dade County
Chattooga County, GA 26 km (16 mi) S earthquakes near Chattooga County
Catoosa County, GA 29 km (18 mi) NE earthquakes near Catoosa County
Whitfield County, GA 37 km (23 mi) ENE earthquakes near Whitfield County
Gordon County, GA 49 km (31 mi) ESE earthquakes near Gordon County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 3 km SW of LaFayette, Georgia
  2. 2.0 14 km ENE of Mentone, Alabama
  3. 2.1 1 km NW of Trion, Georgia
  4. 2.4 10 km WNW of Resaca, Georgia
  5. 2.1 11 km ESE of Trenton, Georgia
  6. 2.1 3 km SW of Varnell, Georgia
  7. 2.4 4 km SW of LaFayette, Georgia

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.