Tennessee earthquakes

M2.0 earthquake 11 km SSE of Ridgely, Tennessee

A magnitude 2.0 earthquake struck 11 km SSE of Ridgely, Tennessee on Tue, May 12, 1981, 1:57 PM CDT (18:57 UTC), 5 km (3 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.5 3 km W of Dell, Arkansas. 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
2.0 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from
NM
Local time
UTC
1981-05-12 18:57:14 UTC
Depth
5.2 km (3.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter
36.170° N, 89.430° 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: 21 in the 60 days after this one and 8 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 1.611 km N of Dyersburg, Tennessee · 16574 days ago · 12 km deep · 4 km away
  2. 1.72 km NE of Cooter, Missouri · 16566 days ago · 9 km deep · 35 km away
  3. 1.66 km ESE of Tallapoosa, Missouri · 16565 days ago · 9 km deep · 45 km away
  4. 1.96 km SE of Marston, Missouri · 16563 days ago · 8 km deep · 36 km away
  5. 2.31 km NNE of Ridgely, Tennessee · 16563 days ago · 6 km deep · 13 km away
  6. 1.62 km NE of Ridgely, Tennessee · 16559 days ago · 10 km deep · 13 km away
  7. 1.62 km ENE of Ridgely, Tennessee · 16559 days ago · 3 km deep · 11 km away
  8. 1.77 km NW of Columbus, Kentucky · 16558 days ago · 6 km deep · 74 km away
  9. 1.89 km NW of Tiptonville, Tennessee · 16554 days ago · 8 km deep · 31 km away
  10. 2.24 km W of Etowah, Arkansas · 16554 days ago · 9 km deep · 91 km away
  11. 1.710 km SSE of Ridgely, Tennessee · 16554 days ago · 14 km deep · 2 km away
  12. 1.59 km SE of Marston, Missouri · 16549 days ago · 8 km deep · 35 km away
  13. 2.06 km SW of Lilbourn, Missouri · 16544 days ago · 8 km deep · 48 km away
  14. 1.93 km NE of Howardville, Missouri · 16544 days ago · 7 km deep · 48 km away
  15. 1.71 km NE of Marston, Missouri · 16544 days ago · 5 km deep · 43 km away
  16. 1.73 km SSE of Gosnell, Arkansas · 16541 days ago · 8 km deep · 55 km away
  17. 1.85 km W of Dell, Arkansas · 16540 days ago · 9 km deep · 70 km away
  18. 3.53 km W of Dell, Arkansas · 16535 days ago · 5 km deep · 68 km away
  19. 1.89 km NW of Tiptonville, Tennessee · 16531 days ago · 8 km deep · 32 km away
  20. 2.01 km SW of Cooter, Missouri · 16526 days ago · 11 km deep · 38 km away
  21. 1.73 km ESE of Marston, Missouri · 16521 days ago · 5 km deep · 40 km away

Before

  1. 1.52 km ENE of Marston, Missouri · 16587 days ago · 7 km deep · 43 km away
  2. 2.02 km SSE of Holland, Missouri · 16589 days ago · 7 km deep · 41 km away
  3. 1.68 km SE of Marston, Missouri · 16592 days ago · 3 km deep · 35 km away
  4. 1.66 km WSW of Victoria, Arkansas · 16593 days ago · 2 km deep · 78 km away
  5. 2.11 km N of Howardville, Missouri · 16596 days ago · 6 km deep · 48 km away
  6. 2.67 km NE of Caruthersville, Missouri · 16597 days ago · 6 km deep · 16 km away
  7. 1.93 km SSE of Catron, Missouri · 16601 days ago · 5 km deep · 51 km away
  8. 2.36 km ESE of Marston, Missouri · 16603 days ago · 9 km deep · 37 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nm601442. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 10:47 AM UTC.