mining explosion · reviewed by a seismologist
M 1.6ml
Earthquake near Oak Ridge, TN
No earthquake was likely felt in Oak Ridge in the 24 hours to 1:27 pm EST (18:27 UTC). The last one was M 2.4, 19 km (12 mi) SSW, at 1:54 am EDT on 30 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 3 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Oak Ridge
No: USGS classifies this as a mining explosion, not an earthquake. A magnitude 1.6 mining explosion was recorded 7 km (4 mi) east of Oak Ridge, TN, at 1:14 pm EDT on 21 June 2024 (17:14 UTC), less than 1 km deep. 7 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 6 km E of Oak Ridge, Tennessee
23 km (14 mi) WNW of Knoxville, TN
- When
- 1:14 pm EDT on 21 June 2024 ()
- Where
- 7 km (4 mi) east of Oak Ridge, TN · earthquakes near Oak Ridge
- Magnitude
- M 1.6 (ml)
- Depth
- 0.0 km below the surface
- Felt
- 7 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
- Nearest
- Anderson County, 11 km N
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 550 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Oak Ridge, TN
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Alerts are on for .
Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
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 7 km (4 mi) from the epicentre. In Oak Ridge, 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.
Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Clinton, Oliver Springs, Farragut, Coalfield, Rocky Top, Norris.
USGS catalogues this as mining explosion, not an earthquake.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 7.6 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,000,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,400,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 130× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 1.6 about 7.6 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 36.0194, -84.1938. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson County, TN | 11 km (7 mi) | N | earthquakes near Anderson County |
| Knox County, TN | 23 km (14 mi) | E | earthquakes near Knox County |
| Loudon County, TN | 33 km (21 mi) | SSW | earthquakes near Loudon County |
| Roane County, TN | 35 km (22 mi) | WSW | earthquakes near Roane County |
| Morgan County, TN | 42 km (26 mi) | WNW | earthquakes near Morgan County |
| Campbell County, TN | 43 km (26 mi) | N | earthquakes near Campbell County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
54 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 2.0 4 km WNW of Mascot, Tennessee
- 1.9 3 km NW of Mascot, Tennessee
- 1.8 0 km SE of Farragut, Tennessee
- 2.3 1 km S of Friendsville, Tennessee
- 1.8 5 km SSE of Friendsville, Tennessee
- 2.4 5 km SSE of Friendsville, Tennessee
- 1.7 4 km NE of Louisville, Tennessee
- 2.0 3 km WSW of Alcoa, Tennessee
- 2.2 3 km WSW of Alcoa, Tennessee
- 2.3 4 km SSW of Kingston, Tennessee
- 2.5 8 km NNE of Petros, Tennessee
- 2.2 2 km SSW of Greenback, Tennessee
- 2.1 2 km S of Blaine, Tennessee
- 2.1 7 km SE of Knoxville, Tennessee
- 1.9 5 km NNW of Mascot, 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
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.