Tennessee earthquakes

M1.5 earthquake 6 km W of Benton, Tennessee

A magnitude 1.5 earthquake struck 6 km W of Benton, Tennessee on Mon, Jan 18, 1988, 12:47 AM EST (05:47 UTC), 13 km (8 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.5 3 km SE of Lake Santeetlah, North Carolina. This one was a foreshock.

Benton forecastMore in Tennessee

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
1.5 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from
SE
Local time
UTC
1988-01-18 05:47:51 UTC
Depth
13.0 km (8.1 mi), shallow
Epicenter
35.178° N, 84.728° 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
76°
Stations used
18

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 6 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.06 km SE of Madisonville, Tennessee · 14115 days ago · 19 km deep · 50 km away
  2. 1.7Tennessee-North Carolina border region · 14115 days ago · 17 km deep · 91 km away
  3. 2.53 km SSE of Riceville, Tennessee · 14114 days ago · 8 km deep · 20 km away
  4. 1.6Tennessee · 14113 days ago · 13 km deep · 59 km away
  5. 3.53 km SE of Lake Santeetlah, North Carolina · 14109 days ago · 2 km deep · 83 km away
  6. 2.43 km NNW of Alcoa, Tennessee · 14087 days ago · 15 km deep · 98 km away

Before

  1. 1.911 km SE of Tellico Plains, Tennessee · 14149 days ago · 8 km deep · 50 km away
  2. 3.212 km SE of Tellico Plains, Tennessee · 14149 days ago · 12 km deep · 49 km away
  3. 1.5Tennessee · 14149 days ago · 11 km deep · 51 km away
  4. 2.912 km SE of Tellico Plains, Tennessee · 14149 days ago · 13 km deep · 50 km away
  5. 2.311 km SE of Tellico Plains, Tennessee · 14149 days ago · 15 km deep · 49 km away
  6. 2.58 km SE of Wildwood Lake, Tennessee · 14163 days ago · 11 km deep · 17 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event se60734. Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 7:25 AM UTC.