Some people between East Ridge, Tenn., and Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., may have been startled awake by a small earthquake early Sunday morning.
The 2.7 magnitude quake hit Indian Springs, Ga. – about five miles south of East Ridge – just before 5 a.m.
Police in East Ridge, Ringgold, Ga., and Fort Oglethorpe did not report any emergency or nonemergency calls related to the quake.
The epicenter was six miles below ground, and the temblor was felt as far south as Cataula, Ga., according to responses sent to the United States Geological Survey. Cataula is just northeast of Columbus.
About 84 people responded, categorizing the quake as a III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale, a scale that measures levels of intensity, from imperceptible shaking to catastrophic destruction. A level III shaking means the temblor is felt quite noticeably, though some people might not recognize it as an earthquake. It could feel like the rumbling of a passing truck to some.
The USGS registered seven smaller earthquakes leading up to Sunday’s temblor. In fact, on Dec. 20 and 26, two other 2.7 quakes hit Scottsboro, Ala., and Robbinsville, N.C., respectively. The only other quake above 2 magnitude was in Decatur, Tenn., at a 2.1 magnitude on Jan. 2.
Seismic activity is quite common in Tennessee and northwest Georgia, according to the USGS. This is because of the Eastern Tennessee seismic zone, which is one of the most active earthquake zones in the southeast. The largest known quake – a 4.6 magnitude – hit near Fort Payne, Ala., on April 29, 2003.
The New Madrid seismic zone covers areas of Tennessee that are further west.
“Earthquakes everywhere occur on faults within bedrock, usually miles deep,” the USGS website states. “Most of eastern Tennessee’s bedrock originated several hundred million years ago, as the Appalachian Mountains were formed.”
Contact staff writer Rosana Hughes at rhughes@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6327 with tips. Follow her on Twitter @HughesRosana.