People across Tennessee, Georgia, and the Carolinas reported mild shaking, with thousands submitting experiences to the USGS.Social media lit up, especially in Atlanta. “First ever earthquake you could actually feel in Atlanta,” one user wrote,
describing 10 seconds of tremors. Another said, “I could’ve sworn I felt a slight tremor that shook my house.”
Despite the reports, no damage was reported by Knoxville’s fire or police departments. Officials estimate a 23% chance of stronger aftershocks (magnitude 3 or higher) in the next week. Though Tennessee
isn’t known for strong quakes, it lies within the East Tennessee Seismic Zone—among the most active in the Southeast.
The state has recorded 21 quakes in the past month, though only three were over magnitude 3 this year.
Saturday’s quake is the seventh magnitude 4.0+ quake in Tennessee since 1900. The most recent
was a 4.4 in 2018 near Decatur. The strongest was a 4.7-magnitude quake near Alcoa in 1973.
