Tennessee earthquakes

M2.3 earthquake 1 km NNE of Ridgely, Tennessee

A magnitude 2.3 earthquake struck 1 km NNE of Ridgely, Tennessee on Fri, May 29, 1981, 9:56 AM CDT (14:56 UTC), 6 km (4 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
2.3 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-05-29 14:56:12 UTC
Depth
6.0 km (3.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
36.280° 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: 25 in the 60 days after this one and 8 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 1.62 km NE of Ridgely, Tennessee · 16548 days ago · 10 km deep · 1 km away
  2. 1.62 km ENE of Ridgely, Tennessee · 16548 days ago · 3 km deep · 2 km away
  3. 1.77 km NW of Columbus, Kentucky · 16547 days ago · 6 km deep · 64 km away
  4. 1.89 km NW of Tiptonville, Tennessee · 16543 days ago · 8 km deep · 18 km away
  5. 2.24 km W of Etowah, Arkansas · 16543 days ago · 9 km deep · 94 km away
  6. 1.710 km SSE of Ridgely, Tennessee · 16543 days ago · 14 km deep · 13 km away
  7. 1.59 km SE of Marston, Missouri · 16538 days ago · 8 km deep · 22 km away
  8. 2.06 km SW of Lilbourn, Missouri · 16533 days ago · 8 km deep · 35 km away
  9. 1.93 km NE of Howardville, Missouri · 16533 days ago · 7 km deep · 35 km away
  10. 1.71 km NE of Marston, Missouri · 16533 days ago · 5 km deep · 30 km away
  11. 1.73 km SSE of Gosnell, Arkansas · 16530 days ago · 8 km deep · 58 km away
  12. 1.85 km W of Dell, Arkansas · 16529 days ago · 9 km deep · 73 km away
  13. 3.53 km W of Dell, Arkansas · 16524 days ago · 5 km deep · 72 km away
  14. 1.89 km NW of Tiptonville, Tennessee · 16520 days ago · 8 km deep · 19 km away
  15. 2.01 km SW of Cooter, Missouri · 16515 days ago · 11 km deep · 41 km away
  16. 1.73 km ESE of Marston, Missouri · 16510 days ago · 5 km deep · 27 km away
  17. 1.67 km SW of Caruthersville, Missouri · 16506 days ago · 10 km deep · 25 km away
  18. 1.74 km ESE of Marston, Missouri · 16501 days ago · 4 km deep · 27 km away
  19. 1.610 km SSE of New Madrid, Missouri · 16500 days ago · 4 km deep · 24 km away
  20. 1.50 km ESE of Ridgely, Tennessee · 16498 days ago · 13 km deep · 2 km away
  21. 2.39 km SSE of New Madrid, Missouri · 16494 days ago · 3 km deep · 25 km away
  22. 1.73 km NE of Howardville, Missouri · 16493 days ago · 7 km deep · 36 km away
  23. 1.53 km ENE of Lilbourn, Missouri · 16493 days ago · 7 km deep · 37 km away
  24. 1.52 km E of Lilbourn, Missouri · 16493 days ago · 7 km deep · 36 km away
  25. 1.58 km E of Matthews, Missouri · 16493 days ago · 8 km deep · 54 km away

Before

  1. 1.96 km SE of Marston, Missouri · 16552 days ago · 8 km deep · 23 km away
  2. 1.66 km ESE of Tallapoosa, Missouri · 16554 days ago · 9 km deep · 33 km away
  3. 1.72 km NE of Cooter, Missouri · 16555 days ago · 9 km deep · 37 km away
  4. 1.611 km N of Dyersburg, Tennessee · 16563 days ago · 12 km deep · 17 km away
  5. 2.011 km SSE of Ridgely, Tennessee · 16569 days ago · 5 km deep · 13 km away
  6. 1.52 km ENE of Marston, Missouri · 16576 days ago · 7 km deep · 29 km away
  7. 2.02 km SSE of Holland, Missouri · 16578 days ago · 7 km deep · 43 km away
  8. 1.68 km SE of Marston, Missouri · 16581 days ago · 3 km deep · 22 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nm601459. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:11 AM UTC.