One other 2.3 earthquake shook East Tennessee on July 27, based on the USA Geological Survey. The minor earthquake had an epicenter simply east of Knoxville in Mascot, Tennessee.
The earthquake rattled the area at 12:16 a.m. on Sunday morning, based on the USGS. It had a really shallow depth of two.4 kilometers, or about 1.5 miles beneath the Earth’s floor.
Shallow earthquakes, such because the July 27 occasion, are usually not felt as broadly as ones that happen deeper beneath the Earth’s floor, based on USGS scientist Jessica Turner. Small, shallow earthquakes could be felt in a contained and refined space.
The common magnitude scale exhibits that earthquakes as minor as 2.5 could be felt in a neighborhood and will trigger minor injury. Usually, constructing injury begins at 5.5 magnitude, based on earthquake specialists at Michigan Tech College.
An estimated 500,000 earthquakes of two.5 to five.4 magnitude occur annually.
That is the fifth earthquake to occur in East Tennessee up to now month alone. The entire occasions are thought-about “pretty small,” as not one of the earthquakes had a magnitude larger than 3.0.
Whereas that seems like a variety of seismic exercise, the sample and frequency are regular for the area, based on Turner.
In 2024, East Tennessee noticed seven earthquakes between June 29 and July 28, based on USGS knowledge. The entire earthquakes have been beneath a 2.5 magnitude and are thought-about minor.
How typically do earthquakes occur in Tennessee?
Earthquakes are pretty frequent in East Tennessee. For the reason that starting of 2025, there have been greater than 35 earthquakes in East Tennessee. A type of earthquakes was a serious 4.1-magnitude occasion, which occurred on Might 10. 5 of these occasions have occurred in July.
July 27: Mascot, Tennessee, 2.3 magnitude
July 20: Athens, Tennessee, 2.4 magnitude
July 14: Dayton, Tennessee, 2.2 magnitude
July 9: Dollar, Tennessee, 2.6 magnitude
July 1: Lone Oak, Tennessee, 2.3 magnitude
There have been 177 earthquakes in Tennessee in 2024, based on USGS knowledge. Ten of these have been 2.5 magnitude or increased.
What have been the strongest earthquakes in East Tennessee?
These are the ten strongest earthquakes to rattle East Tennessee since 1900, based on USGS knowledge.
4.7 magnitude – Alcoa (1973)
4.5 magnitude – Greenville (1928)
4.4 magnitude – Decatur (2018)
4.2 magnitude – Vonore (1987)
4.1 magnitude – New Tazewell (1956)
4.1 magnitude – Luttrell (1913)
3.8 magnitude – Tazewell (1997)
3.8 magnitude – Fincastle (2020)
3.7 magnitude – Ducktown (1979)
Is it doable to organize for an earthquake?
In contrast to tornadoes or hurricanes, scientists cannot predict earthquakes. USGS scientists do not know the place or when an earthquake may occur; they will solely estimate the chance of such geological occasions.
Nonetheless, that does not imply you possibly can’t put together for the eventuality of an earthquake.
Earlier than an earthquake occurs, make an emergency plan and safe heavy gadgets in your house and objects that hold on the wall, based on prepared.gov. Retailer any heavy or breakable objects on low cabinets.
When an earthquake occurs, it is vital to drop to the bottom, seize onto a sturdy object and canopy your head, based on prepared.gov. In case you’re outdoors when an earthquake begins to rumble, get to an open space freed from buildings, timber, streetlights, and energy traces.
Allison Kiehl studies on trending and breaking information for the Tennessee Join group. E-mail: [email protected]
This text initially appeared on Knoxville Information Sentinel: East Tennessee sees 5 earthquakes in July 2025. Is that this regular?