A 2.0 magnitude earthquake shook the southeastern region of the United States today, marking the fourth quake in four days. The epicenter was located south of Greenback, Tennessee, a town less than 50 miles south of Knoxville and approximately 175 miles north of Atlanta, Georgia. Fortunately, the earthquake was too mild to cause any harm or injuries.
The southeastern United States also had a magnitude-1.6 earthquake near Glenville, North Carolina, on the 8th, as well as two earthquakes in Elgin, South Carolina, yesterday.
According to the State of Tennessee Department of Conversation Division of Geology (TNDoCDG), “few people think of earthquake hazards in Tennessee, but portions of the state are classified as above-average risk areas.” The extreme western region of the state was strongly rattled in 1811 and 1812, and another occurrence might do significant damage throughout West Tennessee. “All of East Tennessee is in an area where moderate damage is possible.”
Today’s earthquake happened in the Appalachian Mountains-Faulted Region. In the words of the TNDoCDG, “there are many faults associated with mountain building episodes that ended more than 200 million years ago, towards the end of the Paleozoic Era.” According to the researchers, “these faults are no longer active, but even after all this time, stress stored up at a depth in these rocks is periodically released as minor earthquakes.”
