Shaking from a4.1-magnitude earthquakethat hit east Tennessee the morning of May 10 was felt in parts of several states across the Southeast, federal data shows. The quakestruck near Greenback, which is about 30 miles southwest of Knoxville, at 9:04 a.m. Reports of light shaking came in from the Knoxville area and parts of the Carolinas, Alabama, Kentucky, Georgia and Virginia, according to early data from the U.S. Geological Survey. TheMichigan Technological Universitysays an earthquake of this magnitude is "often felt, but only causes minor damage." The Knoxville Fire Department did not receive any reports of damage, spokesman Mark Wilbanks said, nor did the Knoxville Police Department, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel, part of the USA TODAY Network. Quakes in Tennessee aren't unusual, but they are usually minor. In the past 30 days, Tennessee has recorded 21 earthquakes of lesser magnitudes. In the past year in Tennessee, there were only three others that exceeded a magnitude of 3.0, according to USGS data. Earthquake news:Massive West Coast earthquake will do far more than shake the ground, report warns If you felt shaking, you canreport it to the USGS, which tracks how much impact the quake had on the region. Here's the impact earthquakes usually have based on their magnitude, according toMichigan Technological University: Below 2.5: Generally not felt 2.5 to 5.4: Minor or no damage 5.5 to 6.0: Slight damage to buildings 6.1 to 6.9: Serious damage 8.0 or greater: Massive damage, can destroy communities Contributing: Mike Wilson, Knoxville News Sentinel This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Tennessee earthquake hits near Knoxville; shaking felt in other states
