Ack!
Was in the FM chat room last night and the house started making noises. Only lasted a few seconds. We went outside and looked around, finding a limb down in the backyard. It looked like it may have bounced off the tin roof. The dogs never barked, and only one or two in the neighborhood were sounding off.
Found out this morning that there was a 3.8 earthquake nearby! According to the US Geological site, it was about 14 miles away. Too close by my books, let me tell you!
Earthquakes here in this part of the South are not unheard of. They are actually rather common, but are ‘deep’ in the rocks and not felt too much on the surface. Plus, the stereotypical shorter buildings, especially in the rural areas of TN and NC, make for less damage. However, of all of the lakes in Tennessee, there is only one natural lake, Reelfoot, formed during a huge earthquake in 1812. Ranked as one of the strongest earthquakes in the US, it caused very little damage due to the lack of population. North Carolina has its fair share of earthquakes too, but they tend to happen further ‘down east’.