QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.4md

Earthquake near Bean Station, TN

No earthquake was likely felt in Bean Station in the 24 hours to 5:09 am EST (10:09 UTC). The last one was M 2.3, 23 km (14 mi) WSW, at 2:41 am EDT on 9 July 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1 felt report to USGS. Every earthquake near Bean Station

This page: a magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) north-northeast of Bean Station, TN, at 3:42 pm EST on 28 February 2025 (20:42 UTC), 18 km deep.

USGS: 5 km NNE of Bean Station, Tennessee

77 km (48 mi) NE of Knoxville, TN

3:42 pm EST, Feb 28, 2025 · · 18 km deep · released about 120 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Hancock County 15 kmHamblen County 19 kmGrainger County 25 kmHawkins County 31 kmLee County 37 kmClaiborne County 37 kmJefferson County 41 kmGreene County 44 kmUnion 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
3:42 pm EST on 28 February 2025 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) north-northeast of Bean Station, TN · earthquakes near Bean Station
Magnitude
M 2.4 (md)
Depth
18 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Hancock County, 15 km NNE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 620 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 37 km (23 mi) from the epicentre. In Bean Station, 5 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: Sneedville, Morristown, Rogersville, Rutledge, Tazewell.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 120 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 89,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 7.9× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.4 about 120 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 36.3887, -83.2705. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Hancock County, TN 15 km (9 mi) NNE earthquakes near Hancock County
Hamblen County, TN 19 km (12 mi) S earthquakes near Hamblen County
Grainger County, TN 25 km (15 mi) WSW earthquakes near Grainger County
Hawkins County, TN 31 km (19 mi) ENE earthquakes near Hawkins County
Lee County, VA 37 km (23 mi) NNE earthquakes near Lee County
Claiborne County, TN 37 km (23 mi) WNW earthquakes near Claiborne County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.3 1 km W of Rutledge, Tennessee
  2. 2.1 2 km S of Blaine, Tennessee
  3. 2.6 11 km SW of Middlesboro, Kentucky
  4. 2.3 2 km ENE of Greeneville, Tennessee
  5. 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

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.