Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.0md
Earthquake near Athens, GA
No earthquake was likely felt in Athens in the 24 hours to 1:13 am EST (06:13 UTC). The last one was M 4.1, 185 km (115 mi) NNW, at 9:04 am EDT on 10 May 2025, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 45,935 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Athens
This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 36 km (22 mi) south of Athens, GA, at 12:47 am EST on 27 November 2019 (05:47 UTC), less than 1 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 8 km NNE of Buckhead, Georgia
34 km (21 mi) S of Athens-Clarke County, GA · 102 km (64 mi) E of Atlanta, GA
- When
- 12:47 am EST on 27 November 2019 ()
- Where
- 36 km (22 mi) south of Athens, GA · earthquakes near Athens
- Magnitude
- M 2.0 (md)
- Depth
- 0.0 km below the surface
- Felt
- 1 report · strongest reported intensity I
- Nearest
- Greene County, 17 km ESE
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2541 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Athens, GA
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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 26 km (16 mi) from the epicentre. In Athens, 36 km away, the estimate is intensity II (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: Madison, Greensboro, Union Point, Watkinsville.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 36 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 420,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 300,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 27× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.0 about 36 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 33.6427, -83.3270. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greene County, GA | 17 km (10 mi) | ESE | earthquakes near Greene County |
| Morgan County, GA | 17 km (10 mi) | WSW | earthquakes near Morgan County |
| Oconee County, GA | 24 km (15 mi) | NNW | earthquakes near Oconee County |
| Oglethorpe County, GA | 34 km (21 mi) | NE | earthquakes near Oglethorpe County |
| Clarke County, GA | 35 km (22 mi) | N | earthquakes near Clarke County |
| Putnam County, GA | 36 km (22 mi) | S | earthquakes near Putnam County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
7 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 2.2 13 km SSE of Eatonton, Georgia
- 2.0 14 km SSE of Eatonton, Georgia
- 1.8 14 km SSE of Eatonton, Georgia
- 2.1 15 km NNW of Milledgeville, Georgia
- 2.3 15 km SE of Eatonton, Georgia
- 2.3 14 km NNE of Milledgeville, Georgia
- 2.2 15 km N of Milledgeville, Georgia
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.