Missouri earthquakes

M1.8 earthquake 3 km E of Marston, Missouri

A magnitude 1.8 earthquake struck 3 km E of Marston, Missouri on Wed, Sep 9, 1981, 6:03 AM CDT (11:03 UTC), 6 km (4 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.5 4 km WSW of Howardville, Missouri. This one was a foreshock.

New Madrid forecastMore in Missouri

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

Open the live map with earthquakes

The earthquake

Magnitude
1.8 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from
NM
Local time
UTC
1981-09-09 11:03:10 UTC
Depth
6.0 km (3.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
36.520° N, 89.570° W
Region
Missouri
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Depth from
From location

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 15 in the 60 days after this one and 9 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 1.60 km S of Howardville, Missouri · 16461 days ago · 5 km deep · 5 km away
  2. 2.08 km SSW of Manila, Arkansas · 16460 days ago · 8 km deep · 97 km away
  3. 1.73 km NNE of Thebes, Illinois · 16460 days ago · 10 km deep · 82 km away
  4. 1.81 km SE of Olmsted, Illinois · 16455 days ago · 12 km deep · 84 km away
  5. 2.49 km N of New Madrid, Missouri · 16449 days ago · 3 km deep · 17 km away
  6. 2.34 km WSW of Howardville, Missouri · 16443 days ago · 10 km deep · 8 km away
  7. 2.54 km WSW of Howardville, Missouri · 16441 days ago · 8 km deep · 8 km away
  8. 1.67 km SSE of Tiptonville, Tennessee · 16438 days ago · 7 km deep · 26 km away
  9. 1.510 km S of Hornbeak, Tennessee · 16435 days ago · 7 km deep · 39 km away
  10. 1.76 km E of Steele, Missouri · 16432 days ago · 8 km deep · 51 km away
  11. 2.01 km NE of North Lilbourn, Missouri · 16420 days ago · 5 km deep · 11 km away
  12. 2.51 km ESE of Ridgely, Tennessee · 16419 days ago · 7 km deep · 30 km away
  13. 2.44 km SSW of Caruthersville, Missouri · 16419 days ago · 11 km deep · 41 km away
  14. 1.77 km SSW of Samburg, Tennessee · 16419 days ago · 5 km deep · 27 km away
  15. 2.37 km N of Dyersburg, Tennessee · 16406 days ago · 9 km deep · 50 km away

Before

  1. 1.62 km N of Marston, Missouri · 16463 days ago · 5 km deep · 4 km away
  2. 1.84 km NE of Dell, Arkansas · 16466 days ago · 6 km deep · 81 km away
  3. 2.1southeastern Missouri · 16469 days ago · 8 km deep · 20 km away
  4. 1.74 km SSW of Holland, Missouri · 16471 days ago · 7 km deep · 63 km away
  5. 1.710 km ENE of Friendship, Tennessee · 16473 days ago · 15 km deep · 74 km away
  6. 1.54 km WNW of Marston, Missouri · 16474 days ago · 3 km deep · 8 km away
  7. 1.91 km SE of Gosnell, Arkansas · 16481 days ago · 13 km deep · 72 km away
  8. 1.85 km WNW of Dell, Arkansas · 16484 days ago · 4 km deep · 86 km away
  9. 1.93 km SW of Pascola, Missouri · 16490 days ago · 2 km deep · 40 km away

Earthquakes todayMissouri earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nm601568. Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 11:36 AM UTC.