The U.S. Geological Survey office confirms a 2.2 magnitude earthquake took place at 7:36 a.m. eastern time this morning in Roane County. The epicenter was reported nearly 3.7 miles east of Kingston at a depth of 5.3 miles.

Officials indicated no initial reports of damage.

Normally, earthquakes below magnitude 3 are rarely felt. However, smaller quakes from magnitude 2.0 can be felt if the quake is shallow and if people are very close to its epicenter and not disturbed by ambient factors such as noise, wind, vibrations or traffic.

These minor earthquakes are common for the region. East Tennessee routinely sees many small quakes throughout the year, particularly along the foothills region.

The Eastern Tennessee Seismic Zone is a geographic band stretching from northeastern Alabama to southwestern Virginia that is subject to frequent small earthquakes.

The largest in this area measured 4.6 magnitude in 1973 near Knoxville. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates earthquakes as large as magnitude 7.5 are possible in the zone.