How often are there earthquakes in Milledgeville?

Here is a random picture of DJ Earthquake, despite the fact that this article has nothing to do with him

Earthquakes, believe it or not, are a near daily occurrence around Baldwin County and Lake Sinclair.

Very rarely can they actually be felt, however. The most recent relatively significant localized earthquake occurred back in October 2019, as a magnitude 2.1 earthquake produced some very light tremors around south Putnam and north Baldwin counties.

The October 2019 earthquake was roughly half the size of the earthquake recorded on Saturday morning in Candler County, near Statesboro. Light rumbles could be felt here in Middle Georgia...

Tim Long, now a retired seismologist and seismology professor at Georgia Tech, said in an interview several years ago that there's "a long history of earthquakes in the Milledgeville/Baldwin County area."

"It's an area that's among the most active in Georgia," Long said at the time.

Long added that Baldwin County and the surrounding Lake Sinclair counties receives "hundreds of earthquakes each year, but added that "99.9-something percent are tiny and cannot be felt."

The culprit, according to Long, is the man-made Lake Sinclair, which has caused sediments to shift since it first came into existence more than 60 years ago.

So, what's the worst that could happen, in terms of a localized earthquake?

"Once every hundred years of so, you may see a 4.5 or 5 magnitude earthquake. That's when you could see things knocked off of shelves or cracks in cinder blocks or foundations," Long said. "That's about as bad as it could possibly get."

If you're really into earthquakes and/or really bored, HERE'S another breakdown from another Georgia Tech expert.