M1.7 earthquake 6 km E of Steele, Missouri
A magnitude 1.7 earthquake struck 6 km E of Steele, Missouri on Fri, Oct 9, 1981, 4:35 AM CDT (09:35 UTC), 8 km (5 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M3.0 5 km N of Dyersburg, Tennessee. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 1.7 (md), micro
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-10-09 09:35:47 UTC
- Depth
- 8.3 km (5.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 36.090° N, 89.760° 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: 9 in the 60 days after this one and 8 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 2.01 km NE of North Lilbourn, Missouri · 16411 days ago · 5 km deep · 59 km away
- 2.51 km ESE of Ridgely, Tennessee · 16411 days ago · 7 km deep · 32 km away
- 2.44 km SSW of Caruthersville, Missouri · 16410 days ago · 11 km deep · 11 km away
- 1.77 km SSW of Samburg, Tennessee · 16410 days ago · 5 km deep · 41 km away
- 2.37 km N of Dyersburg, Tennessee · 16398 days ago · 9 km deep · 35 km away
- 3.05 km N of Dyersburg, Tennessee · 16393 days ago · 14 km deep · 33 km away
- 1.92 km NNW of Blytheville, Arkansas · 16383 days ago · 12 km deep · 22 km away
- 1.75 km E of Marston, Missouri · 16382 days ago · 6 km deep · 51 km away
- 2.110 km SSE of New Madrid, Missouri · 16378 days ago · 3 km deep · 52 km away
Before
- 1.510 km S of Hornbeak, Tennessee · 16426 days ago · 7 km deep · 44 km away
- 1.67 km SSE of Tiptonville, Tennessee · 16429 days ago · 7 km deep · 39 km away
- 2.54 km WSW of Howardville, Missouri · 16432 days ago · 8 km deep · 53 km away
- 2.34 km WSW of Howardville, Missouri · 16435 days ago · 10 km deep · 53 km away
- 2.49 km N of New Madrid, Missouri · 16441 days ago · 3 km deep · 68 km away
- 2.08 km SSW of Manila, Arkansas · 16452 days ago · 8 km deep · 50 km away
- 1.60 km S of Howardville, Missouri · 16453 days ago · 5 km deep · 54 km away
- 1.83 km E of Marston, Missouri · 16453 days ago · 6 km deep · 51 km away
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nm601584. Read Sat, Sep 26, 2026, 10:10 PM UTC.