QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0md

Earthquake near Cleveland, TN

No earthquake was likely felt in Cleveland in the 24 hours to 5:05 am EST (10:05 UTC). The last one was M 2.3, 16 km (10 mi) ENE, at 2:03 am EDT on 3 August 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 6 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Cleveland

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 25 km (15 mi) north-northeast of Cleveland, TN, at 9:31 am EDT on 21 June 2026 (13:31 UTC), 10 km deep.

USGS: 6 km WSW of Riceville, Tennessee

55 km (34 mi) NE of Chattanooga, TN · 22 km (14 mi) NNE of Cleveland, TN

9:31 am EDT, Jun 21, 2026 · · 10 km deep · released about 28 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N McMinn County 14 kmMeigs County 18 kmBradley County 25 kmRhea County 32 kmPolk County 34 kmHamilton County 46 kmMonroe County 47 kmBledsoe County 49 kmLoudon 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
9:31 am EDT on 21 June 2026 ()
Where
25 km (15 mi) north-northeast of Cleveland, TN · earthquakes near Cleveland
Magnitude
M 2.0 (md)
Depth
10 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
McMinn County, 14 km ENE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 143 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 21 km (13 mi) from the epicentre. In Cleveland, 25 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: Athens 17 km, intensity II · Decatur 18 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 28 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 540,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 380,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 34× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 28 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 4,300 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 35.3575, -84.7528. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
McMinn County, TN 14 km (9 mi) ENE earthquakes near McMinn County
Meigs County, TN 18 km (11 mi) NNW earthquakes near Meigs County
Bradley County, TN 25 km (15 mi) SSW earthquakes near Bradley County
Rhea County, TN 32 km (20 mi) NNW earthquakes near Rhea County
Polk County, TN 34 km (21 mi) SE earthquakes near Polk County
Hamilton County, TN 46 km (29 mi) WSW earthquakes near Hamilton County

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

Aftershocks so far

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