Tennessee earthquakes

M1.5 earthquake 2 km N of Ridgely, Tennessee

A magnitude 1.5 earthquake struck 2 km N of Ridgely, Tennessee on Sun, Mar 22, 1981, 6:52 PM CST (00:52 UTC), 7 km (4 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M1.8 2 km NNW of Ridgely, 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
1981-03-23 00:52:35 UTC
Depth
7.0 km (4.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter
36.290° N, 89.490° 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: 17 in the 60 days after this one and 10 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 1.82 km NNW of Ridgely, Tennessee · 16609 days ago · 5 km deep · 1 km away
  2. 1.59 km SE of Ridgely, Tennessee · 16609 days ago · 10 km deep · 11 km away
  3. 1.84 km N of Blytheville, Arkansas · 16606 days ago · 13 km deep · 53 km away
  4. 1.67 km ESE of Marston, Missouri · 16604 days ago · 7 km deep · 23 km away
  5. 2.06 km ENE of Manila, Arkansas · 16604 days ago · 10 km deep · 69 km away
  6. 1.92 km NE of Howardville, Missouri · 16600 days ago · 9 km deep · 33 km away
  7. 1.62 km SSW of Howardville, Missouri · 16600 days ago · 2 km deep · 31 km away
  8. 2.36 km ESE of Marston, Missouri · 16592 days ago · 9 km deep · 23 km away
  9. 1.93 km SSE of Catron, Missouri · 16590 days ago · 5 km deep · 37 km away
  10. 2.67 km NE of Caruthersville, Missouri · 16586 days ago · 6 km deep · 11 km away
  11. 2.11 km N of Howardville, Missouri · 16586 days ago · 6 km deep · 34 km away
  12. 1.66 km WSW of Victoria, Arkansas · 16583 days ago · 2 km deep · 83 km away
  13. 1.68 km SE of Marston, Missouri · 16582 days ago · 3 km deep · 21 km away
  14. 2.02 km SSE of Holland, Missouri · 16578 days ago · 7 km deep · 43 km away
  15. 1.52 km ENE of Marston, Missouri · 16577 days ago · 7 km deep · 28 km away
  16. 2.011 km SSE of Ridgely, Tennessee · 16569 days ago · 5 km deep · 14 km away
  17. 1.611 km N of Dyersburg, Tennessee · 16563 days ago · 12 km deep · 19 km away

Before

  1. 1.73 km NNW of Ridgely, Tennessee · 16621 days ago · 7 km deep · 1 km away
  2. 1.63 km WSW of Tiptonville, Tennessee · 16621 days ago · 7 km deep · 9 km away
  3. 1.69 km NNW of Tiptonville, Tennessee · 16622 days ago · 4 km deep · 18 km away
  4. 1.55 km ENE of Hayward, Missouri · 16625 days ago · 11 km deep · 18 km away
  5. 1.53 km N of Dell, Arkansas · 16632 days ago · 2 km deep · 66 km away
  6. 1.61 km SSE of Lilbourn, Missouri · 16640 days ago · 5 km deep · 34 km away
  7. 1.52 km SW of Dell, Arkansas · 16642 days ago · 2 km deep · 72 km away
  8. 1.512 km N of Dyersburg, Tennessee · 16646 days ago · 5 km deep · 18 km away
  9. 1.86 km ESE of Marston, Missouri · 16648 days ago · 7 km deep · 23 km away
  10. 1.58 km ENE of Hayward, Missouri · 16650 days ago · 12 km deep · 19 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nm601401. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:27 PM UTC.