M3.3 earthquake 4 km NE of Townsend, Tennessee
A magnitude 3.3 earthquake struck 4 km NE of Townsend, Tennessee on Sat, Dec 21, 1985, 7:56 PM EST (00:56 UTC), 13 km (8 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 3.3 (md), minor
- Local time
- UTC
- 1985-12-22 00:56:05 UTC
- Depth
- 13.4 km (8.3 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 35.701° N, 83.720° 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
- 45°
- Stations used
- 39
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 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 3.110 km NNE of Decatur, Tennessee · 14868 days ago · 23 km deep · 95 km away
- 1.87 km E of Etowah, Tennessee · 14867 days ago · 15 km deep · 78 km away
- 2.78 km ENE of Seymour, Tennessee · 14848 days ago · 21 km deep · 26 km away
- 2.27 km NW of Sevierville, Tennessee · 14848 days ago · 15 km deep · 26 km away
- 1.94 km N of Mascot, Tennessee · 14845 days ago · 10 km deep · 44 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTennessee earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event se60474. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 3:16 AM UTC.