QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.6md

Kentucky-Tennessee border region

Yes. A magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded in the Kentucky-Tennessee border region, 50 km (31 mi) NE of Knoxville, TN, at 10:27 am EDT on 25 June 2023 (14:27 UTC), 7.5 km deep. 3 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

50 km (31 mi) NE of Knoxville, TN

· 7.5 km deep · released about 220 lb of TNT

Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Grainger County 2 kmHamblen County 24 kmJefferson County 26 kmUnion County 28 kmClaiborne County 28 kmHancock County 39 kmKnox County 48 kmBell County 53 kmSevier County 53 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
Magnitude
M 2.6 (md)
Depth
7.5 km below the surface
Felt
3 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Grainger County, 2 km ENE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 550 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 49 km (30 mi) from the epicentre. 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 30 km, intensity II · Sevierville 45 km, intensity II · Seymour 46 km, intensity II · Fincastle 49 km, intensity II · Knoxville 49 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 220 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 70,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 50,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 4.4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.6 about 220 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.

Where

Epicentre 36.2682, -83.5292. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Grainger County, TN 2 km (1 mi) ENE earthquakes near Grainger County
Hamblen County, TN 24 km (15 mi) ESE earthquakes near Hamblen County
Jefferson County, TN 26 km (16 mi) SSE earthquakes near Jefferson County
Union County, TN 28 km (17 mi) W earthquakes near Union County
Claiborne County, TN 28 km (18 mi) NNW earthquakes near Claiborne County
Hancock County, TN 39 km (24 mi) NE earthquakes near Hancock County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.3 1 km W of Rutledge, Tennessee
  2. 2.0 4 km WNW of Mascot, Tennessee
  3. 1.9 3 km NW of Mascot, Tennessee
  4. 2.3 4 km N of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
  5. 2.1 2 km S of Blaine, Tennessee
  6. 2.1 7 km SE of Knoxville, Tennessee
  7. 1.9 5 km NNW of Mascot, Tennessee
  8. 1.9 9 km WSW of Mascot, Tennessee
  9. 2.6 11 km SW of Middlesboro, Kentucky
  10. 1.8 0 km ESE of Knoxville, Tennessee
  11. 2.2 10 km ENE of Knoxville, Tennessee
  12. 2.5 6 km SE of Seymour, Tennessee
  13. 2.3 11 km ESE of Mascot, Tennessee
  14. 2.0 8 km ENE of Knoxville, Tennessee
  15. 2.3 16 km N of Maynardville, 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

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