The Saturday morning earthquake which shook Greeneville and many parts of the south was not the largest ever for our immediate area, but it was one of 15 quakes since 1950 in the zone of 4.0 or higher.
Greene County is in the East Tennessee Seismic Zone. The largest in the state was a magnitude 4.7 earthquake near Knoxville in November 2023.
Below is the original story from Ron Metcalfe Saturday following the quake.
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GREENE COUNTY, Tenn. — Yes, Greene Countians, there was an earthquake.
A 4.1 magnitude earthquake shook parts of East Tennessee and the southeastern United States at 9:04 a.m. Saturday, rattling windows and startling residents from Maryville to as far away as Nashville, Atlanta, Spartanburg, and southwest Virginia.
Radio Greeneville received hundreds of calls and texts from listeners who reported feeling the quake. Some messages came from out-of-town listeners, indicating the tremor’s wide reach.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake was centered near Greenback, Tennessee, about 23 kilometers (14.4 miles) south of Maryville, at a depth of 25 kilometers (approximately 16 miles).
Quakes in the 4.0–4.9 magnitude range are classified as “light” on the Richter Scale. These are typically felt by many people and may cause indoor objects to rattle or fall, but rarely result in structural damage.
The USGS says there is less than a 25% chance of an aftershock of 3.0 or greater in the next week.
Preliminary Earthquake Details
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Magnitude | 4.1 |
| Date/Time (UTC) | May 10, 2025 – 13:04:20 |
| Local Time (EDT) | May 10, 2025 – 9:04:20 a.m. |
| Epicenter Location | 35.548°N, 83.988°W |
| Depth | 25 km (16 miles) |
| Nearest Communities | 20.9 km SE of Greenback, TN 23.2 km S of Maryville, TN |
| Furthest Reported Reach | 202.9 km (126 mi) N of Atlanta, GA |
| Location Uncertainty | Horizontal: 0.2 km; Vertical: 0.4 km |
| USGS Event ID | se60605931 (Revised) |
Earthquake Magnitudes and Effects
Source: Wikipedia – Richter magnitude scale
| Magnitude | Description | Typical Maximum Intensity | General Effects | Global Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0–1.9 | Micro | I | Not felt. Recorded by seismographs. | Several million/year |
| 2.0–2.9 | Minor | I | Slightly felt. No damage. | Over 1 million/year |
| 3.0–3.9 | Slight | II–III | Often felt. Rare damage. | Over 100,000/year |
| 4.0–4.9 | Light | IV–V | Noticeable shaking. Minor damage possible. | 10,000–15,000/year |
| 5.0–5.9 | Moderate | VI–VII | Damage to weak structures. | 1,000–1,500/year |
| 6.0–6.9 | Strong | VII–IX | Moderate damage in populated areas. | 100–150/year |
| 7.0–7.9 | Major | VIII+ | Major damage, even to strong buildings. | 10–20/year |
| 8.0–8.9 | Great | VIII+ | Widespread destruction. | 1/year |
| 9.0–9.9 | Extreme | VIII+ | Near total destruction. | 1–3/century |
