n earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.1 struck Tennessee on Saturday morning, shaking areas as far as Atlanta, western North Carolina, and surrounding regions. The quake originated at 9 a.m. EDT, with its epicenter located about 12 miles (20 kilometers) from Greenback, Tennessee, roughly 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Knoxville.
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the tremor was widely felt across the southeastern US.
Massive public response to tremors
In the first hour after the quake, USGS spokeswoman Ayesha Davis in an email to the AP said over 23,000 public reports of tremors. Local meteorologists in Georgia and North Carolina also confirmed they felt the shaking, further indicating the widespread nature of the earthquake.
Aftershock risk
The USGS has issued a warning indicating a 5% chance of aftershocks of magnitude 4.0 or larger occurring in the next week. The agency urges residents to remain alert for potential additional seismic activity in the coming days.
Historical seismic activity in the region
This earthquake is part of a series of tremors that have affected the region in recent years. The Eastern Tennessee Seismic Zone, which stretches across parts of Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama, is one of the most active fault zones in the Southeast US.
The USGS notes that earthquakes in this area, while not uncommon, have been felt over wide areas. Notably, two significant quakes occurred in December 2018—one measuring 4.4 in magnitude near Decatur, Tennessee, and another at 3.0 near Mascot, both of which were felt in parts of Georgia, Kentucky, and North Carolina.