According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a small earthquake was felt in Lawrence County on Monday.

The 3.3 magnitude quake was centered near Chesapeake at 4:39 p.m. in the Big Branch Road area, and could be felt in surrounding areas.

While earthquakes are rare in our area, small quakes do occur from time to time.

About 500,000 quakes between 2.5 and 5.4 on the magnitude scale occur worldwide each year. Quakes below a 3.0 on the scale are usually not noticed, while a 3.3 quake causes only minor, if any, damage and has only small noticeable effects.