Another one…
A relatively small 2.0 magnitude earthquake hit 0.6 miles from Pottsville, Arkansas, 21 hours ago. It struck at 10:58 PM CDT on Tuesday, July 15, 2025.
Small Earthquake Felt
The quake’s UTC time was 3:58 AM on Wednesday, July 16, 2025. A seismologist reviewed the details from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).The earthquake type was measured as md on the magnitude scale.
It happened 0.6 miles southwest of Pottsville. The public has reportedly submitted information about feeling the shake. However, no big damage has been reported yet.
The latest update comes at 08:42 PM CDT today, Wednesday, July 16, 2025.
Officials are monitoring for any further activity.
How Earthquake Magnitudes Work
Earthquakes are ranked using the Richter Scale, which measures the magnitude based on the amplitude of seismic waves. The scale is logarithmic, meaning each whole number increase (e.g., from 2.0 to 3.0) represents a tenfold increase in wave amplitude and about 31 times more energy release.
Another common system is the Moment Magnitude Scale (Mw), which provides a more accurate measure for larger earthquakes by assessing the area of the fault that moves and the energy released. It has largely replaced the Richter Scale for modern assessments due to its precision across a wider range of magnitudes.
Earthquakes are also classified by intensity using the Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) scale, which describes the effects on people, buildings, and nature from I (not felt) to XII (total destruction). This scale varies by location and is based on observed damage rather than just magnitude.
