The U.S. Geological Survey has confirmed a magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck Saturday morning near Greenback, Tennessee. The 24.9 kilometers (15.4 miles) deep quake was felt across North Georgia, Tennessee, and the western Carolinas.
Initial reports from USGS rated it a 3.5 magnitude quake with a depth of 26.1 kilometers, but later upgraded the magnitude and depth.
The earthquake was centered approximately 13 miles southeast of Greenback, some 84 miles north of Blairsville, Georgia.
The earthquake struck at 9:04 a.m. Eastern Time. Shortly after, reports flooded into Now Habersham of people who felt the quake across the region.
More than 23,000 reports from the public were received by USGS in the first hour after the earthquake, USGS spokeswoman Ayesha Davis told The Associated Press (AP) in an email.
The noise stood out to many readers. Michelle Wilson in Eastanollee said she and her family “heard it more than felt it.”
She said the earthquake “Sounded like a really loud semi truck rumbling down the road. A few of our dishes rattled. My son and I looked at each other and said, ‘I wonder what that was.’ He then went on to say, ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if that was actually an earthquake?’ Surprise surprise!”
“It sounded like someone was stomping on our roof and shaking the house mildly. The squirrels outside were all yelling about it!” said Sandy Waltrip of Clarkesville, Georgia.
Linda Moseley said the floor was “vibrating and dishes rattling” in her home in Lumpkin County.
Others reported feeling the brief vibration in Marietta, Buford, Rabun County, and Seneca, South Carolina. Readers also reported experiencing the quake in Murphy, North Carolina, Villa Rica, and Alexandria, Alabama.
Seismic zone
According to AP, 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.
Share your quake story
Did you feel the quake? Share what you experienced and where you were on the Now Habersham Facebook Page.
