GARRARD COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — A 3.4 magnitude earthquake rattled Garrard County Sunday afternoon, surprising residents who described feeling their homes shake and rumble just before 1 p.m.
The Kentucky Geological Survey placed the epicenter on the Garrard-Madison County line at about 8 miles deep. At least 375 people reported feeling the quake, though there have been no reports of injury or damaged property.
Residents in Lancaster shared their experiences of the unexpected seismic activity.
"It was kind of like a train going under your house for a moment," Angela Smith said.
Brayden Smith told LEX 18 that he initially thought heavy trailers were causing the shaking.
"I was like, 'That's some heavy trailers to shake the whole house!'" he said.
Abby Bailey thought someone had hit her house with a vehicle, and ten-year-old Ariel Wilson described the frightening experience from her perspective.
"It felt like we were jumping, like the house was going up and down, so it was a little scary," Wilson said.
Seismologist Seth Carpenter at the University of Kentucky says the tremor is notable because earthquakes in the inner Bluegrass are infrequent.
However, the quake occurred approximately one mile from an August 2023 magnitude 2.6 earthquake near Lancaster, which has experts continuing to investigate the area's seismic activity.
"Everybody's just been confused because it doesn't happen a lot in Garrard County," Brayden Smith said.
Despite the surprise, residents are settling back into their routines after the brief but memorable event.
"Nothing broke, it just shook the house and everybody ran outside, looked at each other, and went back in," Angela Smith said.
Garrard County Emergency Management says major infrastructure like bridges and medical facilities are being checked by the Department of Transportation. Any updates on the earthquake will be posted to the Garrard County Emergency Management Facebook page.
