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A shallow earthquake tremored in southeastern Georgia early Saturday morning, and it was the state's strongest in years. It occurred just after 4 a.m. about 160 miles away from Atlanta. The epicenter was located in Candler County, about 7 miles east of Stillmore, GA. Originally, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) rated it a magnitude 4.2, but later re-evaluated it to be a shallow, magnitude 3.9 earthquake. And because of its location and shallow nature, it was felt hundreds of miles away. Andrew Newman, professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, told 11Alive that earthquakes of this magnitude occur in the state about every 3 to 5 years. But where those earthquakes occur are usually not in this part of the state. "Georgia definitely gets more earthquakes in the northwest corner of the state in the Ridge and Valley. That's where we have a well-defined seismic system," he said. "Up next is along the Fall Line, which runs from roughly Columbus to Macon to Augusta. We think those earthquakes are triggered by a change in the hydrological system."
