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Earthquake simulator shows strength of seismic activity

It's called the Earthquake Cafe, and it puts you through a 6.0 magnitude event.

Hundreds of people in East Tennessee and beyond were rattled by a 4.4 magnitude earthquake Wednesday morning. 

It didn't do much damage. But what would happen if we were rocked by an even stronger quake?

Many of us don't need a simulator to see what an earthquake feels like anymore, but when you walk into WonderWorks in Pigeon Forge, that's exactly what you'll find.

It's called the Earthquake Cafe, and it puts you through a 6.0 magnitude earthquake.

It lets you experience the phenomenon as if you were out to dinner, and suddenly everything started rumbling.

You sit down at the table, and the whole room starts shaking. Plates and lights rattle and menus fall on the floor. You have to hold on to the table to keep your balance.

RELATED: Did you feel it?  Earthquakes hit East Tennessee minutes apart, strongest in decades

"It's really surprising what the experience is like," said Kerensa Archer with WonderWorks.

The simulator is stronger than the earthquake felt across East Tennessee. It's much more common for this area to see smaller quakes than anything as strong as the Earthquake Cafe.

 Earthquakes that clock in at low numbers on the Richter Scale, like levels 1-3 are barely felt.

When you get up to 7 or above, that's where the catastrophic damage hits. The highest earthquake ever recorded on the Richter Scale was around a 9.5.

Tennessee's quake rang in at 4.4, just outside Decatur in Meigs County. That's enough to freak you out, but no cause for alarm.

"You never think it's gonna happen right here in your hometown or right here in your backyard," said Archer.

She said the earthquake simulator becomes more popular after a big earthquake happens anywhere in the world.

"People are always interested in experiencing something that they're hearing about, and their should be an opportunity to do just that," said Archer.

According to the United States Geological Survey there was also a earthquake in Louisville today. 

It was a small one with a 1.8 magnitude, which you typically can't feel. 

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