4.4 Earthquake Felt In North Carolina, Northwest Georgia

NORTH CAROLINA — Early risers in western North Carolina likely felt a rumble before dawn Wednesday morning due to a 4.4-magnitude earthquake in Tennessee that was also felt in parts of Georgia.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake occurred around 4:14 a.m. It was centered about 7 miles north-northeast of Decatur, Tennessee.

The center of the quake was about 128 miles north-northwest of Atlanta and about 220 miles west of Charlotte, NC. A 3.3 followed about 13 minutes later, according to the USGS.

The earthquake produced weak to light shaking in western North Carolina, from the Tennessee border to Asheville.

This area of the state lies in the Eastern Tennessee seismic zone, which is "one of the most active earthquake areas in the Southeast," USGS added.

Earthquakes that are too small to cause damage are felt about once a year in the area. However, USGS added earthquakes that are too small to be felt are "abundant" in this area, and hundreds have been recorded in the recent years.

The largest known earthquake to hit the area was reported April 29, 2003, when a 4.6 magnitude was reported close to Fort Payne, Alabama.

Patch Editors John Barker and Kristal Dixon contributed to this reporting.

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