Two earthquakes rattle north Georgia within a minute of each other, officials say
Two small earthquakes rattled northern Georgia within a minute of each other on Saturday, officials say.
Both quakes happened just northwest of Varnell, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The first was a 2.0 magnitude and hit at about 3:10 a.m., and the second was a 1.6 magnitude and hit at about 3:11 a.m.
They were both between 11 and 12 miles deep, the USGS says.
Only one person reported feeling the 2.0-magnitude quake to the USGS, and none reported feeling the other.
Earthquakes are rare in Georgia, according to Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, but the northwest part of the state is the most at risk for them.
Quakes with a magnitude of less than 2.5 are “usually not felt,” but can still be recorded, according to Michigan Tech. There are about 900,000 of them recorded each year.
Another earthquake shook Tennessee on Sunday, about 150 miles away from those in Georgia.
The 2.8-magnitude quake hit near Fincastle at about 5:19 a.m. and was about 21 miles deep, the USGS says.
No one has reported feeling the quake to the USGS.
Earthquakes between at 2.5 magnitude and 5.4 magnitude are often felt but don’t cause much damage, according to Michigan Tech.
This story was originally published January 19, 2020 at 3:47 PM with the headline "Two earthquakes rattle north Georgia within a minute of each other, officials say."
