Eastern Georgia was rattled Thursday morning from two morning earthquakes that struck 2 hours apart. According to USGS, the earthquakes stuck within 4 miles of each other near Pembroke which is located west from the coastal city of Savannah.
The first earthquake struck at 3:26 am from a depth of 4.5 km; the second earthquake struck at 5:33 am from a depth of 8.3 km. The first quake had a magnitude of 2.4 while the second had a magnitude of 2.2. People located between Pembroke and Savannah used the “Did you feel it?” online reporting tool on the USGS website to report they felt the earthquakes. Because of their magnitude and how generally weak they were, there were not widespread reports nor were there any reports of any damage or injuries.
The morning earthquakes struck in an area with very little history of seismic activity.
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.
