According to the USGS, an earthquake struck Alabama overnight. A relatively weak earthquake, measuring 2.1 in magnitude, struck near Tuscaloosa in the state’s west-central region. The earthquake struck at 1:53 a.m. today, and its epicenter was 4.2 kilometers deep.
According to the USGS, earthquakes with a magnitude of 2.0 or less are rarely felt or heard by individuals; nevertheless, as the magnitude increases, more and more people can feel them. While damage is likely with magnitude 3.0 or higher shocks, serious damage and casualties are rare until a seismic event’s magnitude increases to 5.5 or above.
According to the Geological Survey of Alabama (GSA), earthquakes are somewhat common in the state. According to GSA, “The majority of the earthquakes we experience in Alabama are associated with the Southern Appalachian Seismic Zone (an extension of the East Tennessee Seismic Zone) that runs along the Appalachian Mountains from the northeastern corner into the central part of the state and the Bahamas Fracture Seismic Zone in southern Alabama…