Tennessee earthquakes

M1.5 earthquake 6 km N of Ridgely, Tennessee

A magnitude 1.5 earthquake struck 6 km N of Ridgely, Tennessee on Mon, Feb 16, 1981, 4:59 AM CST (10:59 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M1.8 7 km W of Henning, Tennessee. This one was a foreshock.

Ridgely forecastMore in Tennessee

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
1.5 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-02-16 10:59:59 UTC
Depth
10.2 km (6.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter
36.320° N, 89.480° W
Region
Tennessee
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: 20 in the 60 days after this one and 9 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 1.87 km W of Henning, Tennessee · 16654 days ago · 10 km deep · 73 km away
  2. 1.86 km ENE of Steele, Missouri · 16653 days ago · 6 km deep · 35 km away
  3. 1.58 km ENE of Hayward, Missouri · 16650 days ago · 12 km deep · 17 km away
  4. 1.86 km ESE of Marston, Missouri · 16648 days ago · 7 km deep · 20 km away
  5. 1.512 km N of Dyersburg, Tennessee · 16645 days ago · 5 km deep · 20 km away
  6. 1.52 km SW of Dell, Arkansas · 16642 days ago · 2 km deep · 75 km away
  7. 1.61 km SSE of Lilbourn, Missouri · 16640 days ago · 5 km deep · 31 km away
  8. 1.53 km N of Dell, Arkansas · 16632 days ago · 2 km deep · 69 km away
  9. 1.55 km ENE of Hayward, Missouri · 16625 days ago · 11 km deep · 16 km away
  10. 1.69 km NNW of Tiptonville, Tennessee · 16622 days ago · 4 km deep · 15 km away
  11. 1.63 km WSW of Tiptonville, Tennessee · 16621 days ago · 7 km deep · 6 km away
  12. 1.73 km NNW of Ridgely, Tennessee · 16621 days ago · 7 km deep · 4 km away
  13. 1.52 km N of Ridgely, Tennessee · 16620 days ago · 7 km deep · 3 km away
  14. 1.82 km NNW of Ridgely, Tennessee · 16609 days ago · 5 km deep · 5 km away
  15. 1.59 km SE of Ridgely, Tennessee · 16609 days ago · 10 km deep · 14 km away
  16. 1.84 km N of Blytheville, Arkansas · 16606 days ago · 13 km deep · 55 km away
  17. 1.67 km ESE of Marston, Missouri · 16604 days ago · 7 km deep · 20 km away
  18. 2.06 km ENE of Manila, Arkansas · 16604 days ago · 10 km deep · 72 km away
  19. 1.92 km NE of Howardville, Missouri · 16600 days ago · 9 km deep · 30 km away
  20. 1.62 km SSW of Howardville, Missouri · 16600 days ago · 2 km deep · 28 km away

Before

  1. 1.63 km WSW of Ridgely, Tennessee · 16658 days ago · 5 km deep · 9 km away
  2. 1.58 km NW of Tiptonville, Tennessee · 16659 days ago · 6 km deep · 14 km away
  3. 2.74 km SE of Mound City, Illinois · 16659 days ago · 2 km deep · 87 km away
  4. 1.75 km WNW of Ridgely, Tennessee · 16660 days ago · 4 km deep · 7 km away
  5. 2.54 km NNE of Covington, Tennessee · 16662 days ago · 14 km deep · 81 km away
  6. 2.55 km SE of Hayward, Missouri · 16663 days ago · 14 km deep · 14 km away
  7. 1.56 km NW of Ridgely, Tennessee · 16665 days ago · 5 km deep · 5 km away
  8. 1.79 km NNW of Tiptonville, Tennessee · 16666 days ago · 6 km deep · 15 km away
  9. 1.60 km ENE of Burdette, Arkansas · 16673 days ago · 19 km deep · 69 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nm601377. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:45 PM UTC.