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Earthquake Rattles Northwest Georgia Near State Line with Alabama

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The earthquake's epicenter is at the orange dot inside the colored concentric circles. Image: USGS
The earthquake’s epicenter is at the orange dot inside the colored concentric circles. Image: USGS

According to USGS, an earthquake struck at 8 am today in northwestern Georgia near the state line with Alabama. Striking from a  depth of 9,8 km, the magnitude 2.6 earthquake struck just outside of Menlo, Georgia. While people reported to USGS through their “Did you feel it?” website reporting tool, it wasn’t strong enough to create any reported damages nor injuries.

This map illustrates earthquake activity in and around Georgia cataloged by the USGS between 1903 and 2020. Image: Georgia Earthquake Awareness Guide 2020
This map illustrates earthquake activity in and around Georgia cataloged by the USGS between 1903 and 2020. Image: Georgia Earthquake Awareness Guide 2020

According to Georgia’s Emergency Management and Home Security Agency (GEMA), approximately 15 percent of the world’s earthquakes are scattered over areas like Georgia that lack clearly defined active faults. Although earthquakes in Georgia are comparatively rare, scattered earthquakes caused significant damage and are an important consideration for homeowners. Georgia’s northwest counties, South Carolina border counties, and central and west central Georgia counties are most at risk.

GEMA recommends that people in Georgia plan for the risk of damaging earthquakes, especially if they’re in the northern Georgia counties of Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Fannin, Floyd, Gilmer, Gordon, Murray, Pickens, Rabun, Towns, Union, Walker, and Whitfield, the South Carolina border counties of Burke, Chatham, Columbia, Effingham, Elbert, Lincoln, Richmond, and Screven, and central and west-central counties of Twiggs, Bibb, Jones, Baldwin, Hancock, Greene, Putnam, Butts, Jasper, Newton, Morgan, Walton, Harris, and Muscogee.

GEMA writes, “It’s important to be aware of your earthquake risk and to know how to protect yourself.” They encourage people to take a moment now to learn basic steps they should take before, during, and after an earthquake.