M1.5 earthquake 10 km WNW of Rutledge, Tennessee
A magnitude 1.5 earthquake struck 10 km WNW of Rutledge, Tennessee on Mon, Nov 4, 1985, 7:59 PM EST (00:59 UTC), 8 km (5 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
- 1.5 (md), micro
- Local time
- UTC
- 1985-11-05 00:59:29 UTC
- Depth
- 7.9 km (4.9 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 36.327° N, 83.622° 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
- 195°, poorly surrounded by stations
- Stations used
- 19
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 1.57 km NW of Mascot, Tennessee · 14914 days ago · 11 km deep · 31 km away
- 1.53 km S of Louisville, Tennessee · 14899 days ago · 17 km deep · 71 km away
- 3.34 km NE of Townsend, Tennessee · 14885 days ago · 13 km deep · 70 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTennessee earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event se60462. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 7:45 PM UTC.