M1.5 earthquake 3 km NE of Rutledge, Tennessee
A magnitude 1.5 earthquake struck 3 km NE of Rutledge, Tennessee on Sun, Nov 8, 1987, 3:46 AM EST (08:46 UTC), 11 km (7 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M3.5 4 km E of Kenvir, Kentucky. 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
- 1987-11-08 08:46:51 UTC
- Depth
- 10.8 km (6.7 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 36.301° N, 83.479° 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
- 180°
- Stations used
- 13
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 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 1.84 km NNE of Greenback, Tennessee · 14201 days ago · 19 km deep · 90 km away
- 2.85 km E of Kenvir, Kentucky · 14185 days ago · 13 km deep · 70 km away
- 3.54 km E of Kenvir, Kentucky · 14185 days ago · 27 km deep · 70 km away
- 2.0Kentucky-Tennessee border region · 14183 days ago · 9 km deep · 71 km away
- 1.91 km SSW of Coalfield, Tennessee · 14175 days ago · 22 km deep · 91 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTennessee earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event se60686. Read Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 9:28 AM UTC.