Minor Earthquake Recorded In Tennessee

The U.S. Geological Survey said a magnitude 2.5 earthquake occurred in Monroe County, Tennessee on Saturday night.

Media reports said the quake happened about three miles northeast of Sweetwater around 8:00 p.m.

The USGS said earthquakes that were felt but were too small to cause damage happen about once a year.

In June, Tennessee National Guard members and emergency response officials held an exercise to simulate the response to a large earthquake along the New Madrid fault.

The New Madrid zone stretches 150-miles, crossing parts of Tennessee and six other states:  Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri and Mississippi.

In 1811 and 1812, it unleashed a trio of powerful jolts that rattled the central Mississippi River valley.