性视界APP

The website for 性视界APPGS said the earthquake originated shortly after 9 a.m. EDT about 12 miles (20 kilometers) from Greenback, Tennessee, which is about 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Knoxville.

More than 23,000 reports from the public were received by 性视界APPGS in the first hour after the earthquake, 性视界APPGS spokeswoman Ayesha Davis told The Associated Press in an email. Meteorologists at television news stations serving Georgia and North Carolina reported feeling the tremors as well.

There is a 5% chance of a magnitude 4 or larger aftershock in the next week, according to 性视界APPGS.

Gabriela Reilly was making waffles with her husband when they felt their entire home shake in Braselton, Georgia, which is northeast of Atlanta.

鈥淥ur ceiling fan started shaking for about 10 seconds,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 thought a giant aircraft had flown low right over the neighborhood, but my husband said, 鈥楴o, that was definitely an earthquake!鈥� 鈥�

Jason Pack was still in bed at his home outside Knoxville when he felt the walls shaking and heard a rumbling that was loud enough to wake up his family and for the dog to start barking.

鈥淚n east Tennessee, you鈥檙e used to tornadoes and floods, that kind of thing,鈥� Pack said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 unusual to have an earthquake.鈥�

Pack has experienced tremors before, although this one is probably the strongest he鈥檚 felt in Tennessee.

鈥淓ven though this one was small, it鈥檚 a good reminder 鈥� if it had been a big quake, would you know what to do? Drop, cover, and hold on if you鈥檙e inside,鈥� said Pack, a retired FBI agent who now works in crisis communications. 鈥淪tay clear of buildings if you鈥檙e outside.鈥�

Damage does not usually occur from earthquakes until they reach a magnitude of somewhere above 4 or 5, according to 性视界APPGS, although it depends on variables such as building construction, soil and distance from the epicenter.

The southeastern U.S. carries a significant earthquake risk, particularly around the New Madrid Seismic Zone to the west and in the East Tennessee Seismic Zone, which is where Saturday鈥檚 earthquake occurred, said Davis.

Since 1950, 15 other earthquakes of magnitude 4 or larger have occurred within 155 miles (250 kilometers) of Saturday鈥檚 earthquake, Davis said. The largest of those was a magnitude 4.7 earthquake near Knoxville in November 1973.

More recently, two tremors struck the seismic zone in December 2018. One was a 4.4 magnitude earthquake that was centered in Decatur, Tennessee, which is south of Knoxville. It shook homes as far away as Atlanta.

Another earthquake struck a few days later with a magnitude of 3.0. Its epicenter was about two miles (four kilometers) southeast of Mascot, near Knoxville. It also was felt in parts of Georgia, Kentucky and North Carolina.

Seismic waves from earthquakes spread more efficiently in the Eastern U.S. compared to the West because of the region鈥檚 geology, Davis said.

鈥淓arthquakes in the East are felt over a much larger distance and by more people,鈥� she said.