Early morning earthquake jolts Atlanta awake

Residents from across the metro area jolted awake may have wondered if they were imagining things, but the magnitude 4.4 event was real. The U.S. Geological Survey reported that it emanated from east Tennessee, where it was the second-strongest on record, at about 4:15 a.m.

» MORE: Why Atlanta felt an earthquake that struck in Tennessee

The highest magnitude earthquake previously recorded in Georgia since 1974 was a 4.3 magnitude event in Lincoln County. Whitfield County experienced a 4.2 magnitude temblor in 1984.

Georgia hadn’t broken 4.0 since then and hadn’t broken 3.0 since 2009 - until Wednesday morning. This map shows its reach:

While we might not think of Georgia as quake country, the ground does shake now and then. More than three dozen earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or greater have occurred in Georgia since 1974, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution analysis of data from the U.S. Geological Survey.

Information compiled by AJC data journalist Jennifer Peebles found 40 earthquakes with center points inside Georgia's boundaries. The counties with the most quakes since 1974 were Walker and Whitfield in northwest Georgia, with six each, followed by Lincoln and Hancock, with five each.

Naturally, people immediately took to social media after being shaken out of their slumber on Wednesday. The Atlanta Braves won the Internet with their response:

And here’s what other folks had to say: