4.4 Earthquake Felt In Northwest Georgia

GEORGIA — Early risers in North Gerogia felt the 4.4-magnitude earthquake in Tennessee and parts of the Carolinas early Wednesday morning.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake occurred around 4:14 a.m. It was centered about 7 miles north-northeast of Decatur, Tennessee.

The center of the quake was about 128 miles north-northwest of Atlanta and about 220 miles west of Charlotte, NC. A 3.3 followed about 13 minutes later, according to the USGS, but probably wasn’t felt much in Georgia. Reportedly, it was less deep than the initial quake. A seismograph maintained by Georgia Tech picked up the quake in North Georgia.

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This is the second earthquake to be felt in Georgia in the past couple of weeks. A 2.7-magnitude earthquake rumbled through northwest Georgia Nov. 23, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

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The federal agency notes the earthquake registered around 9:59 a.m. Nov. 23 about 6 miles southwest of Calhoun. It was also about 23 miles northwest of Cartersville and about 5 miles from Adairsville.

This area of the state lies in the Eastern Tennessee seismic zone, which is “one of the most active earthquake areas in the Southeast,” USGS added.

Earthquakes that are too small to cause damage are felt about once a year in the area. However, USGS added earthquakes that are too small to be felt are “abundant” in this area, and hundreds have been recorded in the recent years.

The largest known earthquake to hit the area was reported April 29, 2003, when a 4.6 magnitude was reported close to Fort Payne, Alabama.

Patch Editor Kristal Dixon contributed to this reporting.
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