Preliminary 4.1 magnitude earthquake jolts Tennessee, parts of Georgia and North Carolina
An earthquake of 4.1 preliminary magnitude jolted parts of the southern U.S. on Saturday morning.
The quake hit about 13 miles from Greenback, Tennessee, which is about 30 miles south of Knoxville, the U.S. Geological Survey said, around 9 a.m. local time.
Residents in Atlanta and parts of western North Carolina reported on social media feeling the tremors.
The USGS initially reported the earthquake as a 3.5 magnitude quake before increasing it to 4.1.
There were no immediate reports of significant damage or injuries.
The USGS told the Associated Press that it received more than 23,000 reports from the public in the first hour after the earthquake.
Jason Pack was still in bed at his home outside Knoxville when he felt the walls shaking and heard a rumbling that was loud enough to wake up his family and for the dog to start barking.
"In east Tennessee, you're used to tornadoes and floods, that kind of thing," Pack said. "It's unusual to have an earthquake."
Pack has experienced tremors before, although this one is probably the strongest he's felt in Tennessee.
"Even though this one was small, it's a good reminder — if it had been a big quake, would you know what to do? Drop, cover, and hold on if you're inside," said Pack, a retired FBI agent who now works in crisis communications. "Stay clear of buildings if you're outside."
Gabriela Reilly was making waffles with her husband when they felt their entire home shake in Braselton, Georgia, which is northeast of Atlanta.
"Our ceiling fan started shaking for about 10 seconds," she said. "I thought a giant aircraft had flown low right over the neighborhood, but my husband said, 'No, that was definitely an earthquake!'"
There is a 5% chance of a magnitude 4 or larger aftershock in the next week, according to USGS.
Earthquakes are not uncommon in the region. The Eastern Tennessee seismic zone is one of the most active in the Southeast and extends across parts of Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama.
Two tremors struck in December 2018. One was a 4.4 magnitude earthquake that was centered in Decatur, Tennessee, which is south of Knoxville. It shook homes as far away as Atlanta.
Another earthquake struck a few days later with a magnitude of 3.0. Its epicenter was about two miles (four kilometers) southeast of Mascot, near Knoxville. It also was felt in parts of Georgia, Kentucky and North Carolina.
Seismic waves from earthquakes spread more efficiently in the Eastern U.S. compared to the West because of the region's geology, said USGS spokeswoman Ayesha Davis.
"Earthquakes in the East are felt over a much larger distance and by more people," she said.
