Tennessee and Georgia residents were shocked by the earthquake Saturday morning with an initial amplitude of 4.1, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The earthquake was outside Greenback, Tennessee, with a town of about 1,000 people, but felt Atlanta.
Shortly after the earthquake, people in the area recorded reports on where it was to the U.S. Geological Survey. Crashing reports from Nashville and Charlotte, North Carolina
According to those from the self-reported Geological Survey, there were only a few cases of mild damage reported around the epicenter.
The area, known as the Eastern Tennessee Seismic Belt, extends to Tennessee, to northwestern Georgia and northeastern Alabama. Secondary earthquakes occur every year, but no major tremors have occurred in the area.
As seismologists review available data, they may modify reports of Saturday's earthquake.
The last time the strong earthquake was felt in the area was in 2018, when the magnitude 4.4 tremors rattled, but the losses were minimal.
The earthquake is still enough to create aftershocks on social media.
People from Asheville, North Carolina to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, outside of Knoxville, reported that the earth was shaking when they liked morning coffee.
One user teased the image of the terrace furniture that had a single chair knocked down, and said: “I survived the Knoxville earthquake in 2025. We will rebuild.”
Another shared a photo of their cat shelter in a cardboard box titled “The East Tennessee earthquake can’t be handled at all.”
On Facebook, those close to the epicenter of Seville County describe the earthquake sounding like a roar of explosions or thunder. One said she thought it was a “race-up” while another said it was “a helicopter flying over.”
Jonathan Wolfe Contribution report.
