Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.3md
Earthquake near Hartwell, GA
No earthquake was likely felt in Hartwell in the 24 hours to 6:02 pm EST (23:02 UTC). The last one was M 4.1, 164 km (102 mi) NW, at 9:04 am EDT on 10 May 2025, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 45,935 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Hartwell
This page: a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded 8 km (5 mi) west-northwest of Hartwell, GA, at 1:15 am EDT on 1 November 2019 (05:15 UTC), 6.0 km deep. 5 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 5 km E of Bowersville, Georgia
57 km (35 mi) NE of Athens-Clarke County, GA · 146 km (91 mi) ENE of Atlanta, GA
- When
- 1:15 am EDT on 1 November 2019 ()
- Where
- 8 km (5 mi) west-northwest of Hartwell, GA · earthquakes near Hartwell
- Magnitude
- M 2.3 (md)
- Depth
- 6.0 km below the surface
- Felt
- 5 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
- Nearest
- Hart County, 6 km ESE
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2489 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Hartwell, GA
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Hartwell, GA. No account or email needed.
Alerts are on for .
Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.
At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 36 km (22 mi) from the epicentre. In Hartwell, 8 km away, the estimate is intensity III (weak). Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.
Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Lavonia, Reed Creek, Royston, Franklin Springs, Gumlog.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 82 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.3 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 180,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 130,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 12× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.3 about 82 lb of TNT
Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.
For this area
No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.
Before 2016, the USGS record since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km.
Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.
Where
Epicentre 34.3687, -83.0182. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hart County, GA | 6 km (3 mi) | ESE | earthquakes near Hart County |
| Franklin County, GA | 19 km (12 mi) | W | earthquakes near Franklin County |
| Madison County, GA | 32 km (20 mi) | SSW | earthquakes near Madison County |
| Stephens County, GA | 32 km (20 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Stephens County |
| Elbert County, GA | 32 km (20 mi) | SSE | earthquakes near Elbert County |
| Anderson County, SC | 39 km (24 mi) | ENE | earthquakes near Anderson County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
3 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 2.1 5 km NNE of Calhoun Falls, South Carolina
- 2.1 5 km WNW of Reed Creek, Georgia
- 2.1 6 km SE of Homeland Park, South Carolina
Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.
On USGS
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.