QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1md

Earthquake near Hopewell, TN

No earthquake was likely felt in Hopewell in the 24 hours to 5:04 am EST (10:04 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 2.1 earthquake was recorded 7 km (4 mi) north-northeast of Hopewell, TN, at 10:49 pm EDT on 15 June 2025 (02:49 UTC), 4.9 km deep. 4 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 6 km NNE of Hopewell, Tennessee

12 km (8 mi) N of Cleveland, TN · 43 km (27 mi) NE of Chattanooga, TN

10:49 pm EDT, Jun 15, 2025 · · 4.9 km deep · released about 37 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Bradley County 15 kmMeigs County 25 kmMcMinn County 26 kmHamilton County 34 kmPolk County 35 kmRhea County 35 kmBledsoe County 46 kmCatoosa County 50 kmSequatchie County 51 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
10:49 pm EDT on 15 June 2025 ()
Where
7 km (4 mi) north-northeast of Hopewell, TN · earthquakes near Hopewell
Magnitude
M 2.1 (md)
Depth
4.9 km below the surface
Felt
4 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Bradley County, 15 km S
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 511 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 26 km (16 mi) from the epicentre. In Hopewell, 7 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 26 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 37 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 5.8 410,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 290,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 26× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 37 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 3,200 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 35.2910, -84.8583. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Bradley County, TN 15 km (9 mi) S earthquakes near Bradley County
Meigs County, TN 25 km (15 mi) N earthquakes near Meigs County
McMinn County, TN 26 km (16 mi) NE earthquakes near McMinn County
Hamilton County, TN 34 km (21 mi) WSW earthquakes near Hamilton County
Polk County, TN 35 km (22 mi) SE earthquakes near Polk County
Rhea County, TN 35 km (22 mi) NNW earthquakes near Rhea County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 1 km SSW of Sweetwater, Tennessee
  2. 1.9 4 km ENE of Riceville, Tennessee
  3. 1.7 8 km ESE of Englewood, Tennessee
  4. 1.8 11 km NNE of Decatur, Tennessee
  5. 2.4 10 km NNE of Decatur, Tennessee
  6. 1.6 8 km E of Englewood, Tennessee
  7. 1.8 8 km E of Englewood, Tennessee
  8. 2.0 8 km SSE of Etowah, Tennessee
  9. 2.3 17 km SSW of Tellico Plains, Tennessee
  10. 2.4 18 km N of Ducktown, Tennessee
  11. 1.7 6 km WNW of Sweetwater, Tennessee
  12. 1.9 4 km W of Etowah, Tennessee
  13. 2.1 7 km ESE of Benton, Tennessee
  14. 2.0 8 km E of Benton, Tennessee
  15. 2.0 6 km WSW of Riceville, 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.