Earthquake was here!

Published 12:27 pm Wednesday, November 9, 2011

A 2.7 magnitude earthquake centered near Vernon Avenue in Dalton occurred at 11:44 this morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes), citing the Southeast U.S. Seismic Network. The depth was 3.2 miles. The location was 34.773°N, 84.982°W.

Early speculation was that the area may have felt the aftershock of a 2.5 magnitude quake that occurred at 6:35 a.m. CST four miles north of Dyersburg, Tenn. (142 miles west of Nashville). But Claude Craig, director of Whitfield County Emergency Services, said this afternoon the area had indeed felt its own earthquake.

Whitfield and Catoosa County residents felt the Earth and structures move just before noon. Whitfield 911 had not received any reports of structural damage or injuries as of 2 p.m. The agency said it had received calls from across Dalton, from the hospital to the college to the South Bypass area, beginning at 11:45 a.m.