ATLANTA, May 11, (AP): A 4.1-magnitude earthquake in Tennessee woke up families and rattled homes as far away as Atlanta as it spread tremors across portions of the southern US on Saturday morning. No injuries or major damage were immediately reported. The website for USGS said the earthquake originated shortly after 9 am EDT about 12 miles (20 kilometers) from Greenback, Tennessee, which is about 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Knoxville.

More than 23,000 reports from the public were received by USGS in the first hour after the earthquake, USGS spokeswoman Ayesha Davis told The Associated Press in an email. Meteorologists at television news stations serving Georgia and North Carolina reported feeling the tremors as well. There is a 5% chance of a magnitude 4 or larger aftershock in the next week, according to USGS.

Gabriela Reilly was making waffles with her husband when they felt their entire home shake in Braselton, Georgia, which is northeast of Atlanta. "Our ceiling fan started shaking for about 10 seconds,” she said. "I thought a giant aircraft had flown low right over the neighborhood, but my husband said, ‘No, that was definitely an earthquake!’” Jason Pack was still in bed at his home outside Knoxville when he felt the walls shaking and heard a rumbling that was loud enough to wake up his family and for the dog to start barking.

"In east Tennessee, you're used to tornadoes and floods, that kind of thing,” Pack said. "It's unusual to have an earthquake." Pack has experienced tremors before, although this one is probably the strongest he's felt in Tennessee. "Even though this one was small, it’s a good reminder - if it had been a big quake, would you know what to do? Drop, cover, and hold on if you’re inside," said Pack, a retired FBI agent who now works in crisis communications. "Stay clear of buildings if you’re outside.”