The U.S. Geological Survey is reporting a 3.0 earthquake was detected about three miles south of Center Point this afternoon.
The earthquake was reported just before 6 p.m.
A Trussville police dispatcher said his department had received a few calls from residents who felt the tremor but had not received any reports of structural damage.
The 3.0 magnitude earthquake was strong enough to knock pictures off a few walls in Trussville,
"Some people felt the rumbling," said Lt. Paul Skaggs. "A lot of people must not have, because we only got a few calls on it."
The epicenter of the earthquake -- which was reported just before 6 p.m. -- was about three miles south of Center Point, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
There have been other earthquakes in Alabama this year: a 2.1 magnitude was reported in August in Fayette; two earthquakes -- one a 2.2, the other a 2.5 -- were detected in one week in March in Limestone County; and in February a magnitude 3.5 earthquake struck just south of Fort Morgan in south Alabama.
Today's earthquake was a few miles from the state's largest recorded earthquake, a 5.1 magnitude earthquake reported in 1916 in Irondale.
Here is the preliminary earthquake report released by the USGS after the event:
== PRELIMINARY EARTHQUAKE REPORT ==
Region: ALABAMA
Geographic coordinates: 33.591N, 86.671W
Magnitude: 3.0 M
Depth: 5 km
Universal Time (UTC): 13 Sep 2011 22:59:23
Time near the Epicenter: 13 Sep 2011 17:59:23
Location with respect to nearby cities:
5 km (3 miles) S (171 degrees) of Center Point, AL
7 km (4 miles) NNE (13 degrees) of Irondale, AL
7 km (4 miles) SSW (206 degrees) of Grayson Valley, AL
15 km (9 miles) ENE (61 degrees) of Birmingham, AL
514 km (320 miles) NE (38 degrees) of New Orleans, LA
Metro-area residents are reporting they felt the quake in cities including Springville, Trussville, Clay, Pinson, Leeds, Moody and Margaret.
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