Many residents of the Bulloch County area were awakened early Saturday morning by the rumblings of an unusual occurrence – an earthquake.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported a magnitude 3.9 earthquake occurred at 4:05 a.m. Saturday and was centered about four and a half miles east of Stillmore and five miles west of Metter. A 3.9 earthquake measured on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (MMI) is considered a “Moderate” event.
There are 10 levels on the MMI scale ranging from I, described as “Not Felt,” to X, described as “Extreme.” Potential effects from a Moderate quake are described on the scale as “Felt by nearly everyone; many awakened. Some dishes, windows broken. Unstable objects overturned. Pendulum clocks may stop.”
The MMI scale was developed in 1931 as a not-necessarily scientific method to describe the potential impact of earthquakes to the public, according to the US Geological Survey.
There were no reports of damage from the earthquake in the Bulloch County area.
Bulloch Public Safety/Emergency Management Agency Director Ted Wynn said his office called him at 4:30 a.m. to report some of the equipment in the 911 office was visibly shaking, but there was no damage reported anywhere in the community.
Candler County Sheriff John Miles reported no damage.
According to maps posted on the U.S. Geological Survey web page, at least some effects of Saturday’s quake centered near Stillmore could be felt from Macon in the west, to Waycross to the south, to the Atlantic coast from Brunswick to Hilton Head to the east and Greenwood, S.C., to the north.
In Brooklet, one resident reported hearing a “low rumble, similar, but different to thunder. Then a china cabinet shook and dishes rattled. The event may have lasted 10-15 seconds.”
On its website, the Geological Survey has a section asking people who were affected by Saturday’s earthquake to respond to a survey about the event. As of 10:30 a.m., about 1,300 people had responded to the survey, including 73 responses from Metter, 80 from Statesboro and 34 from Swainsboro.