An earthquake struck near Greenback, Tennessee, at 9:04 a.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The epicenter was about 30 miles southwest of Knoxville and originated at a depth of nearly 25 miles, classifying it as a shallow earthquake. People across Tennessee, Georgia, and the Carolinas reported feeling the tremor, with thousands submitting mild shaking reports to the USGS.
Social media quickly lit up with personal accounts, especially from Atlanta. One user on X (formerly Twitter) said it was the first time they had ever felt an earthquake in the city, describing about 10 seconds of shaking. Another user mentioned a tremor that seemed to shake their house. Despite widespread awareness, local authorities in Knoxville reported no damage or injuries immediately following the event.
Officials stated there’s a 23% chance of aftershocks stronger than magnitude 3.0 within the next week. While Tennessee is not typically associated with strong seismic activity, it lies within the East Tennessee Seismic Zone—an active fault region in the southeastern United States.
The state has experienced 21 smaller quakes in the past month, though only three surpassed magnitude 3.0 this year. Saturday’s event marks the seventh earthquake in Tennessee to reach magnitude 4.0 or higher since 1900, reflecting an unusual but not unprecedented seismic occurrence.
The most powerful quake in the area’s recorded history was a 4.7-magnitude event in Alcoa in 1973. The last comparable incident was a 4.4-magnitude quake near Decatur in 2018.
