2.8-magnitude earthquake felt — and heard — in Georgia. ‘Thought it was a plane’
A 2.8-magnitude earthquake rattled Georgia overnight, and some people said they didn’t just feel it.
Social media users also reported hearing the tremor.
“I didn’t feel it but I heard it,” one person wrote on the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page. “It was the first one while I was awake! I honestly thought it was a plane or something.”
“I thought somebody set a bomb outside our bedroom window it was so loud,” another person wrote on Twitter.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit at about 11:45 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 20. It shook the ground roughly 10 miles northeast of Eton, a town near the Tennessee border.
Earlier this week, a 2.1-magnitude earthquake was reported near Riceville, Tennessee, and a 2.3-magnitude earthquake hit in the McMinnville, Tennessee, area.
No damage was reported from most recent quake, which had a depth of about 9 miles. Dozens of people told USGS they felt “weak” or “light” shaking from the tremor, including some as far east as the Carolinas.
But what about those who thought they heard the quake? Sometimes, smaller earthquakes can be noisy, experts say.
“Small shallow earthquakes sometimes produce rumbling sounds or booms that can be heard by people who are very close to them,” the USGS said on its website. “High-frequency vibrations from the shallow earthquake generate the booming sound; when earthquakes are deeper, those vibrations never reach the surface.”
Typically, 2.5- to 5.4-magnitude quakes leave minor damage. They are “often felt” and happen an estimated 500,000 times each year, according to Michigan Tech.
This story was originally published January 21, 2022 at 8:48 AM with the headline "2.8-magnitude earthquake felt — and heard — in Georgia. ‘Thought it was a plane’."
