QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.4md

Earthquake near Gatlinburg, TN

No earthquake was likely felt in Gatlinburg in the 24 hours to 9:50 am EST (14:50 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 16 km (10 mi) NW, at 7:03 pm EST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Gatlinburg

This page: a magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 11 km (7 mi) southwest of Gatlinburg, TN, at 3:23 am EDT on 2 October 2023 (07:23 UTC), 1.9 km deep.

USGS: 10 km SW of Gatlinburg, Tennessee

47 km (29 mi) SE of Knoxville, TN

3:23 am EDT, Oct 2, 2023 · · 1.9 km deep · released about 110 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Swain County 16 kmSevier County 16 kmBlount County 29 kmGraham County 40 kmJefferson County 46 kmKnox County 48 kmCocke County 53 kmHaywood County 58 kmMacon County 58 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
3:23 am EDT on 2 October 2023 ()
Where
11 km (7 mi) southwest of Gatlinburg, TN · earthquakes near Gatlinburg
Magnitude
M 2.4 (md)
Depth
1.9 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Swain County, 16 km SE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1136 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 Gatlinburg, 11 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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: Sevierville 24 km, intensity II · Seymour 28 km, intensity II · Maryville 35 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 110 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.4 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 130,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 95,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 8.5× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.4 about 110 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 35.6567, -83.6067. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Swain County, NC 16 km (10 mi) SE earthquakes near Swain County
Sevier County, TN 16 km (10 mi) NNE earthquakes near Sevier County
Blount County, TN 29 km (18 mi) W earthquakes near Blount County
Graham County, NC 40 km (25 mi) SSW earthquakes near Graham County
Jefferson County, TN 46 km (29 mi) NNE earthquakes near Jefferson County
Knox County, TN 48 km (30 mi) NW earthquakes near Knox County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.6 10 km SSW of Dillsboro, North Carolina
  2. 1.8 13 km SSE of Greenback, Tennessee
  3. 2.1 7 km SE of Knoxville, Tennessee
  4. 1.9 9 km WSW of Mascot, Tennessee
  5. 2.2 13 km SE of Greenback, Tennessee
  6. 2.0 21 km SE of Greenback, Tennessee
  7. 1.8 2 km WNW of Maryville, Tennessee
  8. 1.8 0 km ESE of Knoxville, Tennessee
  9. 2.2 10 km ENE of Knoxville, Tennessee
  10. 1.7 5 km NE of Greenback, Tennessee
  11. 1.8 5 km SW of Maryville, Tennessee
  12. 1.5 2 km W of Maryville, Tennessee
  13. 2.5 6 km SE of Seymour, Tennessee
  14. 1.9 1 km ENE of Friendsville, Tennessee
  15. 2.3 11 km ESE of Mascot, 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.