AUGUSTA, Ga. – Some Georgia residents were startled Saturday morning as an earthquake from Tennessee shook several nearby states.

The quake’s epicenter was near Greenback, about 30 miles southwest of Knoxville. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, it happened at 9:04 a.m. and had an estimated magnitude of 4.1.

According to the Augusta Fire Department and Emergency Management Agency, a few people could feel it in Augusta.

One resident of Fort Eisenhower wrote on Facebook: “It was very minor, just some bookshelves tapping against the wall, so it would’ve been missed if we hadn’t have been just waking up.”

Another Augusta resident reported her bathroom door rattled.

But people across metro Atlanta and as far south as Macon said the quake shook their homes. Tremors were also felt near Charlotte.

U.S. Geological Survey research geophysicist William Yeck said the quake happened in the Eastern Tennessee Seismic Zone, which is made up of several small, deep fault lines. This earthquake’s epicenter was about 12 miles below the surface.

“We do expect for earthquakes to happen here, so we know they can happen, but they just happen so rarely that people just aren’t used to experiencing them,” he said.

More than 40,000 people called the Geological Survey to report the earthquake.

Gabriela Reilly was making waffles with her husband when they felt their entire home shake in Braselton, Ga., northeast of Atlanta.

“Our ceiling fan started shaking for about 10 seconds,” she said. “I thought a giant aircraft had flown low right over the neighborhood, but my husband said, ‘No, that was definitely an earthquake!’”

Jason Pack was still in bed at his home outside Knoxville when he felt the walls shaking and heard a rumbling that was loud enough to wake up his family and for the dog to start barking.

“In east Tennessee, you’re used to tornadoes and floods, that kind of thing,” Pack said. “It’s unusual to have an earthquake.”

Pack has experienced tremors before, although this one is probably the strongest he’s felt in Tennessee.

“Even though this one was small, it’s a good reminder — if it had been a big quake, would you know what to do? Drop, cover, and hold on if you’re inside,” said Pack, a retired FBI agent who now works in crisis communications. “Stay clear of buildings if you’re outside.”

Yeck said earthquakes in the eastern U.S. tend to travel farther than those to our west because the rock is older and denser, acting as a better carrier for seismic waves.

Damage does not usually occur from earthquakes until they reach a magnitude of somewhere above 4 or 5, according to experts, although it depends on variables such as building construction, soil and distance from the epicenter.

Since 1950, 15 other earthquakes of magnitude 4 or larger have occurred within 155 miles of Saturday’s earthquake. The largest of those was a magnitude 4.7 earthquake near Knoxville in November 1973.

Experts say there’s a 5% chance of an aftershock with a magnitude of 4 or larger in the next week.

Earthquakes aren’t necessarily uncommon across Georgia, or even in the CSRA.

On April 7, three earthquakes were felt in Columbia County:

• One 9.1 miles northwest of Evans at 8:01 p.m. at a depth of 10 kilometers with a magnitude of 1.8.
• One 6.8 miles north of Harlem at 8:26 p.m. with a magnitude of 1.9 and a depth of one kilometer.
• One 9.6 miles northwest of Grovetown at 11:03 p.m. with a magnitude of 1.7 and a depth of 2 kilometers.

Those came nearly a week after two earthquakes were recorded near Grovetown.

Near the epicenter of Saturday’s earthquake, Blount County Emergency Management Agency Director Lance Coleman said there were no reports of injuries or damage, but officials did get a lot of phone calls.

A Tennessee Valley Authority representative said only one dam, Fontana Dam, saw enough movement to require inspection, and no issues were found.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park said a portion of Foothills Parkway West was shut down and would remain closed until it is inspected by the Federal Highway Administration.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation’s Mark Nagi said there were no reports of damaged roads, but officials would be inspecting bridges throughout the next few weeks as a precaution.

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Augusta, home to the Masters Tournament, has been recognized as one of the best places to live in the U.S., along with other cities in the peach State.

Livability, a company that has been curating an annual list of the 100 best places to live in the U.S. for over a decade, used data from thousands of U.S. cities and an algorithm that considers factors to compile the list. Factors include:

• Economy
• Housing Costs
• Amenities
• Transportation
• Environment
• Safety
• Education
• Health

According to the study, Augusta ranked highly for environment, transportation and housing.

What are the best places to live in Georgia?

Ranked in no particular order, here are three spots in Georgia that made this list:

Augusta

“Southern charm meets sports in Augusta,” the website wrote. “This sweet Georgia city has mastered (pun intended!) being a great place to live with affordable housing, excellent schools and beautiful parks along the Savannah River.”

• LivScore: 633
• Region: Southeast
• Population: 201,970
• Med. Home Value: $163,376

Athens

“Athens is alive with Southern charm and a lively arts scene,” the website wrote. “This vibrant college town is brimming with historic architecture, a thriving music scene and a whole lot of school pride.”

• LivScore: 646
• Region: Southeast
• Population: 129,386
• Med. Home Value: $258,778

Roswell

“Just an hour outside Atlanta, Roswell captivates residents with historic charm, scenic beauty and modern conveniences,” the website wrote. “Known for its parks, award-winning schools and a strong sense of community, Roswell offers a suburban lifestyle with all the amenities.”

• LivScore: 838
• Region: Southeast
• Population: 88,964
• Med. Home Value: $485,018

To see the full list, visit livability.com/best-places/top-100-best-places-to-live-in-the-us/.

Vanessa Countryman is the Trending Topics Reporter for the the Deep South Connect Team Georgia. Email her at Vcountryman@gannett.com.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Your complaints over the soaring cost of housing have reached the ears of Senator John Ossoff.

On Friday, he made a public plea to families in the Augusta area to contact his office.

The senator wants to hear stories like the ones we first told you about three years ago.

We introduced you to tenant after tenant on the brink of homelessness, after out-of-state investors purchased the homes they had been living in for years.

The new out-of-state landlords forced the tenants out of the rental homes before upping the price of rent and putting it back on the market.

The senator says these huge out-of-state investment companies are driving up the cost of housing and making fewer homes available.

He says he needs facts and data to understand the impact on the housing market, which is why he is asking for your help.

“We are looking for data and stories from the Augusta area. So if you have had experience with one of these huge out-of-state companies thats buying up all these homes in Georgia either because you are a tenant, or you have been priced out of the housing market, or you have gotten offers on your home from some of these out of state companies and you want to share that with my office,” said Ossoff.

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