QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1md

Earthquake near Loudon, TN

No earthquake was likely felt in Loudon in the 24 hours to 11:50 am EST (16:50 UTC). The last one was M 2.4, 14 km (8 mi) N, at 1:54 am EDT on 30 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 3 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Loudon

This page: a magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded in Loudon, TN, at 6:31 am EDT on 26 May 2025 (10:31 UTC), 16 km deep. 3 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 0 km S of Loudon, Tennessee

44 km (27 mi) SW of Knoxville, TN

6:31 am EDT, May 26, 2025 · · 16 km deep · released about 46 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Loudon County 2 kmRoane County 22 kmMonroe County 32 kmBlount County 37 kmMcMinn County 42 kmAnderson County 45 kmKnox County 46 kmMeigs County 50 kmMorgan County 54 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
6:31 am EDT on 26 May 2025 ()
Where
in Loudon, TN · earthquakes near Loudon
Magnitude
M 2.1 (md)
Depth
16 km below the surface
Felt
3 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Loudon County, 2 km NE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 455 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 24 km (15 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: Farragut 24 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 46 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 330,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 230,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 21× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 46 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 2,600 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 35.7250, -84.3322. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Loudon County, TN 2 km (1 mi) NE earthquakes near Loudon County
Roane County, TN 22 km (14 mi) NW earthquakes near Roane County
Monroe County, TN 32 km (20 mi) SSE earthquakes near Monroe County
Blount County, TN 37 km (23 mi) E earthquakes near Blount County
McMinn County, TN 42 km (26 mi) SW earthquakes near McMinn County
Anderson County, TN 45 km (28 mi) NNE earthquakes near Anderson County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 0 km SE of Farragut, Tennessee
  2. 2.4 5 km E of Etowah, Tennessee
  3. 2.3 1 km S of Friendsville, Tennessee
  4. 1.8 5 km SSE of Friendsville, Tennessee
  5. 2.4 5 km SSE of Friendsville, Tennessee
  6. 1.7 4 km NE of Louisville, Tennessee
  7. 2.0 3 km WSW of Alcoa, Tennessee
  8. 2.2 3 km WSW of Alcoa, Tennessee
  9. 2.2 10 km WNW of Lake Santeetlah, North Carolina
  10. 2.3 4 km SSW of Kingston, Tennessee
  11. 2.1 5 km S of Sweetwater, Tennessee
  12. 2.5 8 km NNE of Petros, Tennessee
  13. 2.2 2 km SSW of Greenback, Tennessee
  14. 1.8 13 km SSE of Greenback, Tennessee
  15. 1.8 4 km E of Madisonville, 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.