QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1md

Earthquake near Pigeon Forge, TN

No earthquake was likely felt in Pigeon Forge in the 24 hours to 4:54 am EST (09:54 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 8 km (5 mi) WNW, at 7:03 pm EST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Pigeon Forge

This page: a magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 8 km (5 mi) west-northwest of Pigeon Forge, TN, at 7:03 pm EST on 8 November 2026 (00:03 UTC), 22 km deep.

USGS: 7 km WNW of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

33 km (21 mi) ESE of Knoxville, TN

7:03 pm EST, Nov 8, 2026 · · 22 km deep · released about 40 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Sevier County 10 kmBlount County 30 kmJefferson County 31 kmSwain County 31 kmKnox County 34 kmCocke County 48 kmGrainger County 53 kmGraham County 55 kmUnion County 55 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
7:03 pm EST on 8 November 2026 ()
Where
8 km (5 mi) west-northwest of Pigeon Forge, TN · earthquakes near Pigeon Forge
Magnitude
M 2.1 (md)
Depth
22 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Sevier County, 10 km ESE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2 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 17 km (11 mi) from the epicentre. In Pigeon Forge, 8 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: Sevierville 9 km, intensity II · Seymour 12 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 40 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 5.8 380,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 270,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 24× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 40 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 4.1 on 2025-05-10 — about 1,100 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 35.8153, -83.6358. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Sevier County, TN 10 km (7 mi) ESE earthquakes near Sevier County
Blount County, TN 30 km (18 mi) WSW earthquakes near Blount County
Jefferson County, TN 31 km (19 mi) NE earthquakes near Jefferson County
Swain County, NC 31 km (20 mi) SSE earthquakes near Swain County
Knox County, TN 34 km (21 mi) NW earthquakes near Knox County
Cocke County, TN 48 km (30 mi) ENE earthquakes near Cocke County

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

Aftershocks so far

No further earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

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.