M2.1 earthquake 6 km SW of Midtown, Tennessee
A magnitude 2.1 earthquake struck 6 km SW of Midtown, Tennessee on Wed, Dec 18, 1985, 7:23 AM EST (12:23 UTC), 26 km (16 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M3.3 4 km NE of Townsend, Tennessee. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 2.1 (md), micro
- Local time
- UTC
- 1985-12-18 12:23:29 UTC
- Depth
- 25.6 km (15.9 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 35.834° N, 84.604° 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
- Station coverage gap
- 56°
- Stations used
- 25
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 3.34 km NE of Townsend, Tennessee · 14884 days ago · 13 km deep · 81 km away
- 3.110 km NNE of Decatur, Tennessee · 14868 days ago · 23 km deep · 29 km away
- 1.87 km E of Etowah, Tennessee · 14867 days ago · 15 km deep · 60 km away
- 2.78 km ENE of Seymour, Tennessee · 14848 days ago · 21 km deep · 88 km away
- 2.27 km NW of Sevierville, Tennessee · 14848 days ago · 15 km deep · 89 km away
- 1.94 km N of Mascot, Tennessee · 14845 days ago · 10 km deep · 82 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTennessee earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event se60471. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 5:22 AM UTC.