3.5-magnitude earthquake strikes near Henning

(SMNS) -- On Tuesday morning at 8:26 a.m. CDST a 3.5-magnitude earthquake struck West Tennessee, briefly alarming residents in the immediate area. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) the epicenter was just west of Henning, Tenn. on the north side of the Hatchie River. The quake originated 7.5 miles beneath the surface and was felt by staff and students at the DSCC Jimmy Naifeh Center in Covington, Tenn.

Theresa Dunn, DSCC secretary, was at work when she heard and felt the quake. "We thought someone had hit the building. There was a boom and the building shook a little, and that was it. There was another young girl out in the lounge area and she looked up and asked us 'What was that noise?' Then Carrie (Webb) and I went outside to see if someone hit the building. We didn't realize what it was."

According to USGS standards a magnitude 3.0--3.9 is often felt by people, but very rarely causes damage. Shaking of indoor objects can be noticeable and over 100,000 per year (over 11 every hour) occur worldwide. In comparison, a 3.87-magnitude quake is equivalent to 10.5 tons of dynamite, or the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986.