On 30 November 1973, at 07:48 UTC (02:48 EST), a Mw 4.7 earthquake struck 1 km (0.62 mi) north-east of Alcoa, in the U.S. state of Tennessee.

[4] The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported a moment magnitude of 4.6 and a focal depth of 3.0 km (1.9 mi) for the earthquake.

[2] The focal mechanism of the mainshock indicated primarily dip-slip faulting, but the data were too sparse to accurately define the direction of the motion.

A detailed intensity survey revealed a felt area of 65,000 km2 (25,000 sq mi) that exhibited a rapid decrease of intensity to the north and unusually low decrease of macroseismic effects to the south.

Topographic focusing of seismic energy is suggested by the intensity data for the town of Maryville, Tennessee.