A small earthquake strikes near a town in west Alabama


Save Story

Estimated read time: Less than a minute

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

BERRY, Ala. (AP) — A small earthquake rumbled near a town in west Alabama on Thursday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The agency said the earthquake had a preliminary magnitude 2.9, and struck a few miles (kilometers) northwest of Berry. It was recorded at 12:16 p.m. CDT, according to the survey.

The agency did not report if any residents of that community or the surrounding area felt the quake. Magnitude 2.5 to 3 earthquakes are the smallest generally felt by people. Berry is about 60 miles (95 kilometers) west of Alabama's biggest city, Birmingham.

Earthquakes in the South and the eastern parts of the U.S. are rare, but occasionally happen. A large earthquake heavily damaged Boston in 1775, and other strong quakes have been recorded in the past in Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee, according to the agency.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Most recent U.S. stories

Related topics

The Associated Press
    KSL.com Beyond Business
    KSL.com Beyond Series

    KSL Weather Forecast

    KSL Weather Forecast
    Play button