Early Morning Earthquake Jolts Tennessee, Could Be Felt In Atlanta

Updated at 12:28 p.m. Wednesday

It wasn’t your imagination. That was an earthquake.

The U.S. Geological Survey says a magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck eastern Tennessee and could be felt as far away as Atlanta early Wednesday morning.

Many residents, and even the Atlanta Braves, took to social media to comment or get information about #Atlantaearthquake.

We knew that @ronaldacunajr24 home run ball would land eventually…

Sorry to wake you guys up! ¯_(ツ)_/¯ https://t.co/qxeLhVbfWG

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) December 12, 2018

The light earthquake occurred Wednesday around 4:14 a.m. about 7 miles northeast of Decatur, Tennessee. About 13 minutes later, a 3.3 magnitude aftershock struck.

According to the USGS, the Eastern Tennessee seismic zone is one of the most active earthquake areas in the Southeast. The zone extends across parts of Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama.

There didn’t appear to be any immediate reports of injuries, but people definitely felt it. Dispatchers said some people reported their beds shaking and dishes rattling.

The Tennessee Valley Authority said engineers were inspecting the Watts Bar Nuclear Plant in Tennessee as a precaution, but the facility didn’t appear to be affected and was continuing to operate safely.

Meigs County Emergency Management Director Tony Finnell told the Chattanooga Times Free Press that there were no reports of damage but the county’s 911 lines lit up as soon as it happened.

“We got a few calls because people woke up with noise and vibration,” Finnell said.

WABE contributed to this report.