All earthquakesTennessee

Tennessee earthquakes in 1986

14 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more were located in Tennessee in 1986. The largest: M3.3 8 km ENE of Ooltewah, Tennessee, Jul 11, 1986.

From the USGS catalog. Times are local to each quake.

19851987

Map

Where every quake of 1986 was located in Tennessee. Select one for its page.

Open the live map with earthquakes

Every quake of 1986

Magnitude 2.5 and up, newest first.

Month by month

Counted by UTC date, which is how the catalog files them.

MonthQuakesLargestWhere
January 198643.110 km NNE of Decatur, Tennessee
February 19860
March 19860
April 198613.01 km SSE of Whitwell, Tennessee
May 198612.81 km E of Niota, Tennessee
June 198622.93 km NNW of Knoxville, Tennessee
July 198623.38 km ENE of Ooltewah, Tennessee
August 198622.94 km NW of Grimsley, Tennessee
September 198612.68 km W of Henning, Tennessee
October 198612.56 km SSW of Ridgely, Tennessee
November 19860
December 19860

What this means

The catalog is only as complete as the instruments of the time. Worldwide coverage of magnitude 5 and up dates from the 1960s, and of 4.5 from the 1990s; earlier years hold the large quakes and the ones near a station, so a low count in an early year means fewer instruments, not a quiet earth.

By year

Every year the USGS catalog covers.

Nearby

Tennessee nowWorldwide in 1986

Sources

Earthquakes, magnitudes, depths, shaking estimates and felt reports from the U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program, read from its live feeds and its catalog back to 1900. Tsunami messages from NOAA’s tsunami warning centers.