A 4.3-magnitude earthquake west of Whitesburg, Ky., early Saturday afternoon rattled homes from Cincinnati to Atlanta. There were no initial reports of major injuries or damage. Whitesburg is northwest of Johnson City. (Image courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey)
An earthquake that measured 4.3 on the Richter Scale struck west of Whitesburg, Ky., at 12:08 p.m. Saturday, shaking homes from Cincinnati to Atlanta, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
The epicenter was in southeastern Kentucky about 96 miles north-northeast of Knoxville, USGS Geophysicist Paul Caruso said. He wasn’t sure how long it lasted.
Caruso said a 4.3-magnitude earthquake could cause chandeliers to swing and books to fall off shelves near the epicenter, but he wouldn’t expect any major casualties or major damage. They generally occur in quakes with a magnitude of 5.5 or greater, Caruso said.
Caruso said the earthquake was at a shallow depth of about one mile underground.
People in and around Oak Ridge and Knoxville immediately began posting about the quake on social media early Saturday afternoon, but it’s not clear if it caused any damage in East Tennessee.
About an hour after the earthquake, Lt. Ken Sexton of the Whitesburg Fire Department said the department had had no reports of damages or injuries so far. But buildings shook, and people were scared, Sexton said.
The quake was about eight miles west of Whitesburg, which is northwest of Johnson City. It’s mountainous coal mining country, Sexton said.
Caruso said it’s not possible to predict if and when there might be aftershocks, but they are always smaller than the earthquakes themselves. The USGS reported one 2.5-magnitude aftershock at 1:37 p.m. about 10 miles southeast of Hazard, Ky.
The USGS says earthquakes do not occur frequently in most of North America east of the Rocky Mountains, but they are typically felt over a much larger region than they are in the West.
For more information and a map of the epicenter, see the U.S. Geological Survey’s earthquake page at http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usc000dqhx#summary.
Note: This story was last updated at 7:48 p.m.
Daniel Powers says
Report in if you felt it.
Wife and I both felt it.
My first thought was Earthquake, then I wasn’t sure, thought maybe strong guest of wind may have shook the house. Then as I was about to ask on Facebook I saw another person beat me to asking. Then I was pretty sure. 3rd one I have felt in Oak Ridge.
John Huotari says
Seems like there was a small one in Blount County a few years ago.
Tammy Maples Barksdale says
Felt it near downtown Knoxville.
John Huotari says
Thank you.
TJ Garland says
Test
Myra Perry says
Felt it and wondered if quake or gas line issue … a little scary.
John Huotari says
Hi, Myra. Haven’t talked to you in a while.
Myra Perry says
Hi John, enjoying this online paper greatly, read it daily! Thanks for creating such a good resource for local new. All the best, Myra
johnhuotari says
Thank you for reading.
Myra Mansfield says
I felt it in Hendrix Creek subdivision. There was ALOT of shaking in the house and I heard glasses tinging as they hit each other in the cabinets. My first thought to myself was “See if Oak Ridge Today says we had an earthquake.” Thanks for staying on top of local news.
John Huotari says
Thank you, and you’re welcome. I wasn’t sure either until my wife called and asked what that was. Then, I saw everybody posting about it on Facebook.
CA Schulman says
I felt it here in the east end of Oak Ridge. I thought it was a hurricane force wind all of a sudden, of all the silly things. Shook the house pretty decently and I heard it..just audible. I felt the shaking even sitting down. Someone on Face Book said there was an 8.0 one in Central KY? Have you heard that?
John Huotari says
The only information I have is a 4.3 magnitude, and I talked to the U.S. Geological Survey.
John Huotari says
Also, you can check the USGS earthquake page here: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/
Daniel Powers says
It was a 4.3 near Whitesburg KY.