Residents in and around Pembroke, Georgia, may have been too soundly asleep to notice, but their town was the epicenter of not one, but two minor earthquakes that occurred overnight. The events are the latest in a series of subtle shifts in the earth beneath the feet of Southeast Georgians. The first quake, with a magnitude of 2.4, hit at approximately 3:26 a.m. on Thursday. As recorded by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the tremor was centered 4 miles west of Pembroke and had a depth of 4.6 kilometers.
Few may have felt the initial quake due to its low intensity and timing, but it serves as a reminder that Georgia is not immune to the earth's restless nature. According to WJCL, a second tremor, this one clocking in at a slightly lower magnitude of 2.2, followed at 5:33 a.m. The epicenter of the second episode was identified to be 3 kilometers north of Pembroke, plunging 8.3 kilometers below the surface. Again, the depth and slight magnitude likely contributed to avoid, generally being felt by residents.
While small by seismic standards, these quakes are part of a pattern that suggests Georgia isn't as seismically stable as some might believe. Just last month, two similar quakes were registered in the state, with a 2.6-magnitude event near Summerville and a concurrent 2.4-magnitude tremor near the Twiggs-Bleckley county line. As reported by FOX 5 Atlanta, minor earthquakes are not uncommon in the region.
According to Michigan Tech's Earthquake Magnitude Scale shared by FOX 5 Atlanta, people generally need an earthquake to reach a magnitude of 3.0 or higher in order to be felt. Factors such as the earthquake's distance from the epicenter, its depth, the local soil conditions, and the construction of nearby buildings can significantly determine to feel the intensity of such events.
