Tremors from an earthquake of 4.1 preliminary magnitude in Tennessee on Saturday morning could be felt in Atlanta and western North Carolina, according to the U.S. Geological Survey and local news reports.
The earthquake originated shortly after 9 a.m. EDT, said USGS, located about 12 miles (20 kilometers) from Greenback, Tennessee. That’s about 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Knoxville. No injuries or major damage have been reported as of Saturday afternoon.
Meteorologists at television news stations serving Georgia and North Carolina reported feeling the tremors as well.
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 now a 5 percent chance of a magnitude 4 or larger aftershock in the next week, according to U.S. Geological Survey.
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.
