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Early morning earthquakes rattle Tennessee; felt as far away as Charlotte

DECATUR, Tenn. — People in Georgia and Tennessee were woken up by an earthquake early Wednesday, and people as far away as Charlotte told Channel 9 they felt the tremor too.

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The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake happened about 4:15 a.m. about seven miles north of Decatur, Tennessee. It had a magnitude of 4.4.

[RELATED: Southeast reacts to rare earthquake, aftershock]

The USGS reports the earthquake was at a depth of 5.5 miles.

There did not appear to be any immediate reports of injuries or damage.

[ALSO READ: Small 2.4 magnitude earthquake recorded in Caldwell County]

The earthquake happened along the New Madrid Fault Line, which is along the Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi state lines.

The earthquake was the second strongest on record in East Tennessee, according to the USGS. The strongest was a magnitude 4.7 near Maryville in 1973.

A smaller 3.3-magnitude quake followed about 13 minutes later, according to the USGS.

The earthquake struck right across the river from Watts Bar Nuclear Plant in Tennessee.

Atlanta's WSB-TV received dozens of phone calls in the minutes following the quake.

Closer to Charlotte, Channel 9 viewers said they also felt the quake, especially in the mountains.

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