M1.7 earthquake 5 km SSE of Sweetwater, Tennessee
A magnitude 1.7 earthquake struck 5 km SSE of Sweetwater, Tennessee on Mon, Jan 21, 2002, 1:04 AM EST (06:04 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M2.5 12 km W of Philadelphia, Tennessee. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 1.7 (Md, duration), micro
- Magnitude from
- SE
- Local time
- UTC
- 2002-01-21 06:04:16 UTC
- Depth
- 9.6 km (6.0 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 35.560° N, 84.438° 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
- 225°, poorly surrounded by stations
- Stations used
- 4
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
- 1.60 km SE of Spring City, Tennessee · 9013 days ago · 10 km deep · 40 km away
- 1.98 km WNW of Flat Top Mountain, Tennessee · 9012 days ago · 11 km deep · 79 km away
- 2.512 km W of Philadelphia, Tennessee · 8993 days ago · 5 km deep · 18 km away
- 2.39 km SW of Decatur, Tennessee · 8989 days ago · 3 km deep · 40 km away
- 1.7Kentucky-Tennessee border region · 8985 days ago · 10 km deep · 75 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTennessee earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event se61984. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 5:36 AM UTC.