Multiple small earthquakes reported near Lake Lanier in last week
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - Several small earthquakes have been reported near Lake Lanier and Buford in Gwinnett County in the last week, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The first earthquake happened at 11:15 p.m. on June 6. It had a magnitude of 2.5 and was approximately 2.5 miles underground.
The second earthquake struck just a few hours later at 1:30 a.m. June 7. It was a 2.1 magnitude quake and was 5.3 miles down.
A 2.3 magnitude quake hit the same area at 8:37 p.m. June 9. That earthquake was much closer to the surface, only 0.8 miles underground, and was reportedly felt by quite a few people.
The fourth quake was reported around 3:20 a.m. on Thursday. It was measured at 2.2 magnitude and was about 5.5 miles underground.
Additionally, a small quake was reported on June 3 in northwest Georgia near Dalton.
Experts say there are usually between 10 and 20 earthquakes above magnitude 2.0 each year.
Lake Lanier sits near what is known as the Brevard Zone, a major fault system that was active hundreds of millions of years ago when the Appalachian Mountains were forming. However, most of the ancient faults are no longer active.
The quake near Dalton occurred on the southern end of the Eastern Tennessee Seismic Zone, which often has small earthquakes.
Earthquakes are relatively uncommon in the state of Georgia, but they do occur. The state experiences small earthquakes occasionally, mostly in the northern part near the border with Tennessee. These earthquakes are typically minor and cause little to no damage.
Historically, Georgia has experienced a few notable earthquakes, such as the 1916 earthquake (4.1 magnitude) in the Central Georgia region and the 2003 4.6 magnitude earthquake near Fort Payne, Alabama, which was felt in parts of Georgia. However, large, destructive earthquakes are rare in Georgia compared to other regions in the United States, such as California or the Pacific Northwest.