Magnitude 2.5 earthquake hits Monroe County

KNOXVILLE - The U.S. Geological Survey says a magnitude 2.5 earthquake occurred in Monroe County Saturday night.

According to WATE-TV, the quake happened about three miles northeast of Sweetwater around 8 p.m.

The USGS says earthquakes that are felt but 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, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri and Mississippi.

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

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