M1.7 earthquake 3 km NNE of Thebes, Illinois
A magnitude 1.7 earthquake struck 3 km NNE of Thebes, Illinois on Fri, Sep 11, 1981, 3:49 PM CDT (20:49 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M2.5 4 km WSW of Howardville, Missouri. 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
- 1981-09-11 20:49:29 UTC
- Depth
- 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 37.250° N, 89.450° 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: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 1.81 km SE of Olmsted, Illinois · 16450 days ago · 12 km deep · 34 km away
- 2.49 km N of New Madrid, Missouri · 16444 days ago · 3 km deep · 65 km away
- 2.34 km WSW of Howardville, Missouri · 16437 days ago · 10 km deep · 79 km away
- 2.54 km WSW of Howardville, Missouri · 16435 days ago · 8 km deep · 79 km away
- 2.01 km NE of North Lilbourn, Missouri · 16414 days ago · 5 km deep · 73 km away
Before
- 1.60 km S of Howardville, Missouri · 16456 days ago · 5 km deep · 78 km away
- 1.83 km E of Marston, Missouri · 16456 days ago · 6 km deep · 82 km away
- 1.62 km N of Marston, Missouri · 16458 days ago · 5 km deep · 80 km away
- 2.1southeastern Missouri · 16463 days ago · 8 km deep · 62 km away
- 1.54 km WNW of Marston, Missouri · 16468 days ago · 3 km deep · 81 km away
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nm601571. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 8:22 PM UTC.