The 4th earthquake to strike the southeast in as many days did so in Tennessee earlier today. According to USGS, a magnitude 2.0 earthquake struck south of Greenback, Tennessee at 7:08 am. Greenback is located less than 50 miles south of Knoxville and roughly 175 miles north of Atlanta, Georgia. The earthquake was too weak to create any damage or injuries.
The other earthquakes to strike the southeastern U.S. were a magnitude 1.6 event near Glenville, North Carolina on the 8th and two earthquakes yesterday in Elgin, South Carolina.
According to the State of Tennessee Department of Conversation Division of Geology (TNDoCDG), “Few people think of earthquake hazards in Tennessee, yet portions of the state are classified as above average risk areas. The far western part of the state was shaken violently in 1811-1812, and significant damage from another event is possible in all of West Tennessee. All of East Tennessee lies within an area where moderate damage is possible.”
The area of todays earthquake occurred in what’s known as the Appalachian Mountains Faulted Region. According to 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.” They add, “these faults are no longer active, but even after all this time, stress stored up at a depth in these rocks is periodically released as minor earthquakes.”
