4 Earthquakes Within a Week Recorded in East Tennessee

Hello ATS, I am bringing this news to you after reading this in today's edition of the local newspaper, which is names 'The Daily Times' and covers local news that effects the region of East Tennessee and more specifically Blount County, TN (where it is based), Sevier County, TN - Loudon County, TN and Knox County, TN.

It may not seem important to you guys out there who know that Earthquakes occur regularly and experiencing 4 earthquakes within a week is by no means a groundbreaking series of events. I do believe it may be more important than lead to believe by initial impressions.

Some of you may recall a recent thread I authored, about strange noises being heard locally here and strong enough to make the house tremble at times. The sound was one of a very 'Low Pass' frequency range, similar to what a subwoofer can deliver, and continued for 30-45mins, frequently changing intensity levels from faint to easily discernable.

The discussion that ensued, after that thread opened, lead to a suggestion that a possible earthquake may have been the culprit responsible for the strange audible event. I considered it a possibility, although I couldn't reconcile how an earthquake could produce a phenomena that would last the better part of an hour and change in intensity.

I can't readily remember if I searched for recent earthquake activity in the area or if someone else posted the recorded earthquake information, but an earthquake was recorded and shown to have taken place within several minutes, +/-, of the time I was awoken by the strange event.

The earthquake was positioned just 3-4 miles from my house and was easily in range to be considered an element of the phenomena.

What is more strange is the area where I live. I am located in the 'foothills' of 'The Great Smoky Mountains National Park', a region that is not particularly known for the earthquakes or other extremely severe natural events. While small earthquakes are recorded here on a regular basis, as they are in most other areas of Earth, none of them are strong and rarely pack enough punch to produce movement that can be detected by people in the area.

I also authored another thread, several months before the thread I mentioned above, that reported a similar audible phenomena event was experienced. I remembered authoring that thread, but I didn't realize how similar the descriptions of each events were portrayed. Looking back, I was able to find a similar size earthquake occurring at relatively the same time.

The recent earthquakes this thread will be addressing were not preceded by any audible phenomena - the 'low-pass' frequency sounds that seem to come from the sky, without a definitive source.

If there is a connection between the two, assuming there was no strange sounds prior to the earthquakes, then the sounds must occur at some point afterwards.

This may not be accurate, as the previous sounds I experienced seemed to occur within minutes before or after a recorded earthquake. Either there really is no connection or there is another explanation that can account for this discrepancy.

I suppose it's possible that the earthquakes that match the timeline of the 'noise' events could be coincidental and the earthquakes that do play a role in the sounds could take place hours, days, or weeks before the sound phenomena is heard.

If you are near this area, or know someone who is, we should closely watch the local environment in the coming days, in an attempt to detect a ’strange sound’ event that could relate to these quakes. I will end this part of the thread, to avoid deviating further from it’s original purpose, finding what the heightened activity could mean for this region and possibly this continent and beyond.

The article, in today’s ‘The Daily Times’ newspaper, is available online and clicking here will send you there , but you must pay for a membership to access the entire article. To save you 1$ and several minutes, I will quote portions of the article in this thread, as it appears in print:

Four earthquakes within a week recorded in East Tennessee

Area has four small quakes within a week

East Tennessee has experienced four small earthquakes in the past week, according to the USGS.

The USGS notes that on May, 26 there was a magnitude 1.8 near Tellico Plains; magnitude 2.4 near Dayton, May 29; magnitude 1.4 near Dayton, May, 30; and one magnitude 1.8 near Tellico Plains, May, 31. There was also a magnitude 1.7 near Franklin, North Carolina on May, 31, but that one, while nearby, is considered outside the East Tennessee seismic zone.

The depth of the quakes varied from 14.mile to 1.2 miles below the surface. So far, no damage has yet been reported from these quakes. However, there is concern that this region hasn’t yet seen “The big one” .

Active Seismic Zone

Robert Hatcher, University of Tennessee’s Dept of Earth and Planetary Sciences, said “East Tennessee’s zone is the second most active seismic zone in the Eastern U.S., behind the ‘New Madrid’ fault, but we have yet to have an earthquake in historical times over a 4.8, so this area gets little attention regarding potential for large earthquakes”

Hatcher adds, “The USGS rates these areas as potentially capable of producing 7.5 earthquakes…. There have been pre-historic faults found that were produced by at least 6.0-7.0 earthquakes, but we have not been able to delimit their occurrence interval”

The article seems to imply that not a lot is known for the region and it’s potential to produce large quakes, but it is obvious that potential for destruction, resulting from a large quake, is a very real threat.

The recent jump in activity being reported around here is not ordinary, rarely are real concerns voiced by the people who live here. The last I recall was back when the guy predicted a massive earthquake and the media ran with it. They had us hiding under desks in school, as part of safety drills, preparing for the ‘big one’ that never came.

Are the reports of activity a warning sign that should be taken seriously, in context with all the other seismic event happening around the world recently? There does seem to be more reports from areas that do not normally suffer from such seismic activity.

All of this activity seems to be escalating as well, new reports coming from many different regions are adding up and could carry the possibility that they are blatant signs, warning that one - or a series - of the most violent quakes ever unleashed on this planet could be preparing to introduce itself to the world.

I pray it’s not going to happen. I hope everyone does everything they can to prepare, stay safe, and make others aware of the potential for such an event in the near future. If nothing else, I hope these warnings and realizations that such an event is possible will give everyone the motivation to live everyday to it’s fullest and take advantage of the love you receive, while giving your love back to those who deserve it.

Fascinating--the sounds meshing with the small quake occurrences. May I add to also watch your pets' behavior. I have read a lot of Jim Berkland's work corresponding odd animal behaviors with earthquake occcurences. I would suggest adding those observations into your research and logging of sounds and EQs. Also....smells. Sulphur as minor shifts could release gases.

Will star and flag this thread when I get home (can't do these features from phone). Good topic to follow!

Here's a map from USGS



The star marks the recent 2.4 quake.

I really do not see anything out of the ordinary here, and I also don't see that the quake took place "outside of the seismically active zone" According to this map quakes of these magnitudes are rather common in this vicinity.

We have small earthquakes all the time in east tn, nothing new. I've not being hearing any of those noises though.

I monitor the USGS website 2 times daily and they do not have even one of those quakes.

Makes me wonder how many more worldwide quakes they do not post

And why on earth would they omit anything....just plain pisses me off

O.K.! I am done now.

Why oh why is everything happening elsewere..
EQ´s in italy, U.S...
Zombies in U.S..

When i come to think about it, almost everything is about
U.S...Why is that...They arent all that you know...

I guess we have Island here in Scandinvia, but thats all normal..
Imagine a big EQ, or a volcano eruption here..Here means Sweden
Norway, Finland, Denmark...

Mehhh...
On the other hand...You can have all the fun...
Never mind...Keep walking nothing to see here....

reply to post by H1ght3chHippie


As I mentioned above in the OP, these may not seem out of the ordinary for those who watch the frequency that quakes impact an area. Reading a chart loses something that can not be found without living in the area, or experiencing the series of events first-hand.

Living in an area where it is uncommon to feel 1 quake, residents would certainly be alarmed when they feel several separate quakes within a span of several days.

Further, regardless of the severity or frequency of the quakes, there are potentially other aspects that should be considered with care.

These smaller quakes do occur frequently in many parts of the world - almost every part of the world. They are not always reported in the MSM, so when they are, people tend to take more notice. If there is nothing out of historic order, with the frequency and severity of the quakes, could there be a reason why the MSM is now reporting such mundane quakes?

Are they planting seeds that will make up the support structure used in reference to a large future quake? Maybe there is a plan to have a man-made natural disaster occur and these reports are being used to build awareness and reduce shock-value if/when the large man-made quake is unleashed.

While I do not think it is impossible for technology to create directed earthquakes, I also do not believe that is the basis for the current reports. I am using that to point out the fact that such reports should not be brushed aside, simply because their sequence is not rare.

An area university scientist acknowledging the event and warning of a potential 'Big One' that has yet to strike, but could be around the corner, is definitely not something I would want anyone to ever ignore and down-play as insignificant.

Hopefully this is all nothing, but it is obviously something....

reply to post by Glinda


Hi Glinda!

Thanks for the advice. I do have a pet dog, named Dexter - after the Showtime series of the same name, though my dog is not a serial killer... that I know of anyway...

I have noticed he absolutely has changes in his personality when there are changes in nature, but I have never thought to look for any of these changes during any of the strange events. I will make that a point in the future, if I ever experience something like this again and he is near.

reply to post by doomedtoday


hello and thanks for your post. the noises are not a frequent occurrance at all, but when they do happen they are reported on. In fact, the last strange sound phenomena that occurred in Ea. TN was reported by the 3 local news stations and an answer was never given to identify the mysterious event.

reply to post by radpetey


I agree with you about the ommissions, but maybe there is a worthy explanation to those absenses. I rarely visit USGS and rarely read or post on quakes. I do know it is a popular topic here on ATS and knew that many members would like to learn about the news appearing on the front page of our local newspaper today.

Maybe they do not report all quakes? maybe they need to be a certain size? I really don't know, but as someone who visits their site quite often, I am certain you would love to have an answer. Maybe someone here can give a good explanation.

thanks for the post

reply to post by Miccey


haha, Exactly!!

It's not that nothing is happening there, it's that your officials and media are smart enough to keep it quiet and keep outsiders out! Or maybe you guys do have a great place to live, as far as all the crazy stuff is concerned.

i'm very fascinated by these new quake events. while i realize quakes are common.... it's the behavior of the quakes that seems to be changing. first, they are making noise enough to make people think "what the heck was that??" in areas that have unnoticeable quakes "all the time". THIS is cause for concern or at least further discussion and research.

why were quakes now being felt and heard when in the past small quakes went fairly unnoticed?

something is changing.

reply to post by pasiphae


I absolutely agree with you.

If there is a link that can be found, and proved as fact, between any of these things, it would definitely signal a great change.

I have no idea what the consequences of such changes could be, but I would bet that they are not changes for the better.

Thinking about this a bit, I wondered what the interior of our planet looks like? I mean, obviously, we pump massive amounts of oil from the interior of our home and have no real idea of what can happen as a result.

What does happen when such large quantities are extracted for such a long period of time, in locations all around the globe?

Are giant reservoirs, once filled by crude oil, now immense empty cavities? If there are giant cavities under the crust, what could result from this? Could they collapse from the weight they are trying to support?

Could massive flows of air roar through the cavities, as streams of air flows from one opening to another? Could such an airflow possibly be responsible for the strange, low-pass frequency, sound phenomena heard around the world in the recent past?

Could these immense cavities somehow effect the weather on the surface, making it cooler, warmer, or even causing less temperature variation from season to season - like a change of the insulating properties?

How long does it take for the Earth to replenish the supply of crude? When the oil is extracted, do the cavities fill with some other substance, where they are not left simply 'hollow'?

These questions are the drivers behind the opinion I am working on, where many of the current problems involving nature are a direct result of our dependency on oil and the massive extraction that has been going non-stop for decades.

I guess everyone thinks that, when we use it all up, we'll simply move to the next fuel source and the Earth will be non worse from/for wear. I don't think she will let us get by so easily with spilling ALL her blood. She must think we are trying to murder her, her defence will probably be frighteningly amazing!

Yeah, they reported the quakes, you just have to look at the right list.

earthquake.usgs.gov...

That's the one you want for the last 7 days of magnitude 1+.

The usual list everybody goes to lists 2.5 mag+, and probably why you may not have seen them.

That list is here:
earthquake.usgs.gov...

I do believe it says that right at the very top in big, bold writing.

These tiny quakes, also known as microquakes for anything below 2 (and rarely ever felt by humans), don't worry me much at all, cause they happen all the time. The other thing is that if you look at the epicenters of these 4, only two are close together and the other two aren't even close. Heck, one's all the way in NC a pretty good ways, near me. Can a big one happen at any time? Yeah, it's just not likely in this zone. It's just more intraplate creeks and groans, the way the US always does.

reply to post by Miccey


If your in Sweden, then from what I've researched over the past years - you are in one of the safest places on the planet.

reply to post by TrueAmerican


but see.... these itty bitty quakes are being FELT and HEARD. that's what's unusual. that's what concerns me. things are changing. yes, little quakes happen ALL THE TIME but they don't normally scare people into calling the news stations saying "what just happened? was there an explosion??". that's not normal for a quake under a 2.0!!!!

Originally posted by pasiphae
reply to post by TrueAmerican

 

but see.... these itty bitty quakes are being FELT and HEARD. that's what's unusual. that's what concerns me. things are changing. yes, little quakes happen ALL THE TIME but they don't normally scare people into calling the news stations saying "what just happened? was there an explosion??". that's not normal for a quake under a 2.0!!!!

This is similar to what happened in Clintonville, WN, not long ago. And it took quite a bit of monitoring and verification from the USGS before it was determined they were very shallow microquakes causing it. And even then they're still not totally sure. So what evidence do you have tying the specific quakes to specific reported noises in a very close area near the epicenters?

reply to post by TrueAmerican


Duh!!! I proudly accept the DUMB@$$ of the day award.

I did not even think to glance at that one. Thanks TA for pointing that out to me.

Sheesh!

Originally posted by esteay812
reply to post by Miccey

 

haha, Exactly!!

It's not that nothing is happening there, it's that your officials and media are smart enough to keep it quiet and keep outsiders out! Or maybe you guys do have a great place to live, as far as all the crazy stuff is concerned.

Ohhhkey
How would you keep a 8.0 EQ quiet??
Or a massive volcanoeruption??

Safest place on earth....Hmmm
I guess i wont need a buggoutbag and
a Bunker then...Cool...I can watch all
these things on tele...

I live in West TN so this is of interest to me.
St. Louis has had a 4.0 quake a month or so ago. A 4.0 is rather small yet I actually felt it! I've noticed that I am more sensitive to the movements if I'm lying on my mattress (which is just a regular twin spring mattress placed directly on the floor)

I'm just wondering when "the big one" is gonna hit. (ie. the New Madrid)

PS: I just found this about today's Nashville quake: earthquake.usgs.gov... vent/states/states_tennessee.php


Miccey, Sweden seems safe but recently hasn't there been a huge (religious) "green wave" if you catch my drift.