QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.4md

Earthquake near Hopewell, TN

No earthquake was likely felt in Hopewell in the 24 hours to 9:18 am EST (14:18 UTC). The last one was M 2.0, 18 km (11 mi) NE, at 9:31 am EDT on 21 June 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Hopewell

This page: a magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 10 km (6 mi) west-northwest of Hopewell, TN, at 12:42 pm EST on 16 November 2023 (17:42 UTC), 18 km deep.

USGS: 9 km WNW of Hopewell, Tennessee

14 km (9 mi) NW of Cleveland, TN · 32 km (20 mi) NE of Chattanooga, TN

12:42 pm EST, Nov 16, 2023 · · 18 km deep · released about 100 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Bradley County 17 kmHamilton County 23 kmMeigs County 32 kmRhea County 38 kmMcMinn County 38 kmSequatchie County 40 kmBledsoe County 42 kmCatoosa County 43 kmPolk County 44 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
12:42 pm EST on 16 November 2023 ()
Where
10 km (6 mi) west-northwest of Hopewell, TN · earthquakes near Hopewell
Magnitude
M 2.4 (md)
Depth
18 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Bradley County, 17 km SE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1090 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 35 km (22 mi) from the epicentre. In Hopewell, 10 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: Decatur 33 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 100 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 5.8 150,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 110,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 9.4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.4 about 100 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.4 on 2018-12-12 — about 1,200 times the energy of this one.

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 35.2647, -84.9863. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Bradley County, TN 17 km (10 mi) SE earthquakes near Bradley County
Hamilton County, TN 23 km (14 mi) WSW earthquakes near Hamilton County
Meigs County, TN 32 km (20 mi) NNE earthquakes near Meigs County
Rhea County, TN 38 km (23 mi) N earthquakes near Rhea County
McMinn County, TN 38 km (23 mi) ENE earthquakes near McMinn County
Sequatchie County, TN 40 km (25 mi) WNW earthquakes near Sequatchie County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 7 km ENE of Etowah, Tennessee
  2. 1.9 7 km ENE of Etowah, Tennessee
  3. 1.9 5 km SSW of Riceville, Tennessee
  4. 1.9 8 km WSW of Etowah, Tennessee
  5. 1.8 6 km WSW of Etowah, Tennessee
  6. 2.2 2 km W of Dayton, Tennessee
  7. 2.1 4 km NNW of Dayton, Tennessee
  8. 1.8 6 km SW of Decatur, Tennessee
  9. 1.9 9 km NNW of Eton, Georgia
  10. 2.3 7 km SSE of Charleston, Tennessee
  11. 2.4 4 km E of Athens, Tennessee
  12. 2.2 10 km SSE of Dayton, Tennessee
  13. 2.3 3 km S of Lone Oak, Tennessee
  14. 2.1 3 km ENE of Cohutta, Georgia
  15. 1.8 2 km S of Niota, 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.