Minor quake reported in northwest Georgia

A Sunday evening rumbling in northwest Georgia reminded some residents that Mother Nature is still active when it comes to earthquakes in the region.

The quake, which registered a 2.4 magnitude, struck just before 8 p.m. and was centered abou two miles northwest of Dalton, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Dalton is about 80 miles northwest of Atlanta.

Few people reported feeling the quake, according to the USGS, which says there are multiple quakes that occur in the region that are too small to be felt, while weak quakes, like the one Sunday, may be felt by a few people but are too small to cause damage. Very light damage occurs when a quake reaches a 5 on the Richter scale

Sunday’s quake occurred in the Eastern Tennessee seismic zone, which is one of the most active earthquake areas in the Southeast, the USGS reports. The zone extends across Tennessee and northwestern Georgia into northeastern Alabama.

Last month, a 2.6 magnitude quake was reported in central Georgia, near Eatonton, which is about 50 miles northeast of Macon.

The largest quake to hit the region in recent years was a magnitude 4.6 that hit on April 29, 2003, near Fort Payne, Ala.