Earthquakes continue in Georgia, northeast of Atlanta near Buford Dam on Lake Lanier

An interesting sequence of earthquakes appears to be occurring not far from Buford Dam on Lake Lanier in Georgia, in an area north and east of Atlanta. According to the USGS, three earthquakes have struck the area in the last 4 days, with the first hitting late on the 6th, another early in the morning of the 7th, and the most recent yesterday at 8:37 p.m. The earthquakes were relatively small but noticeable, with more than 300 reports of shaking sent to the USGS via their “Did You Feel It?” Online reporting tool on the USGS website.

The first earthquake was a magnitude 2.5 event occurring at a depth of 4.1 km; the second was a magnitude 2.1 event occurring at a depth of 8.5 km; the third was a magnitude 2.3 event and had a depth of 2.3 km. While epicenter depths rise and fall, the location of epicenters is within 5,000 feet of each other.

The earthquakes are occurring near the south shore of Lake Lanier, a man-made reservoir in the northern part of Georgia. It was created by the completion of Buford Dam on the Chattahoochee River in 1956 and is also fed by the waters of the Chestatee River. The lake covers 38,000 acres or 59 square miles. Named for Confederate poet Sidney Lanier, it was built and is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for flood control and water supply. During its construction, more than 50,000 acres of farmland were destroyed and more than 250 families, 15 businesses and 20 cemeteries had to be relocated.

Buford Dam provides 250 million kWh of hydroelectric power to the surrounding Atlanta region each year.

According to the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA), about 15 percent of the world’s earthquakes are scattered in regions like Georgia without clearly defined active faults. Although earthquakes in Georgia are relatively rare, scattered earthquakes have caused significant damage and are an important consideration for homeowners. Counties in northwest Georgia, border counties in South Carolina, and counties in central and west-central Georgia are most at risk.

The area around Lake Lanier where these three earthquakes occurred is not known for its seismic activity. There are no known active faults near the epicenter of these earthquakes, according to the USGS.

GEMA recommends that Georgia residents prepare for the risk of devastating earthquakes, especially if they are in the northern Georgia counties of Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Fannin, Floyd, Gilmer, Gordon, Murray, Pickens, Rabun, Towns, Union. , Walker and Whitfield, the border counties of Burke, Chatham, Columbia, Effingham, Elbert, Lincoln, Richmond and Screven, and the central and west-central counties of Twiggs, Bibb, Jones, Baldwin, Hancock, Greene, Putnam . , Butts, Jasper, Newton, Morgan, Walton, Harris and Muscogee.

GEMA writes: “It is important to be aware of your seismic risk and know how to protect yourself. » They encourage people to take a moment now to learn the basic steps to take before, during and after an earthquake.