7 earthquakes — so far — since May 23 have shaken Canton, North Carolina

Iris Seaton, Asheville Citizen Times
·3 min read

Unexpected events have been befalling Canton, North Carolina, lately.

First, the town's storied paper mill announced in March it would be closing after 115 years of operation, and the final bell sounded May 24.

On top of that, there has been a surprising chain of earthquakes shaking the town.

As of June 6, The United States Geological Survey has recorded seven separate quakes beneath the town since May 23. The quakes have not caused infrastructure damage. The most intense was on June 2, registering 3.2 on the Richter scale, far outranking anything most Canton residents could define as normal.

“I'm aware we can have earthquakes,” Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers said. “I never remember a time we've had so many back-to-back.”

The Canton community gathers for the final shift bell as the paper mill closes only a day after the first quake was recorded.
The Canton community gathers for the final shift bell as the paper mill closes only a day after the first quake was recorded.

The Canton quakes ranged from 1.8 to 3.2 in magnitude, and no damage was reported, but many residents indicated they felt the tremors. The USGS’s “Did You Feel It?” map, which records reports from people who notice tremors, tallied 733 responses for the June 2 quake that registered 3.2.

The USGS says earthquakes below 2.5 in magnitude are not generally noticeable without instruments. But most of the quakes drew responses from Canton residents.

Magnitudes and reporter resident responses of the recent Canton earthquakes:

  • May 23, 7:28 p.m. — 2.8 on the Richter scale, 162 "Did You Feel It?" responses.

  • May 25, 6:16 p.m. — 2.2, 0 responses.

  • May 25, 6:27 p.m. — 2.4, 16 responses.

  • May 25, 11:19 p.m. — 1.8, 0 responses.

  • June 4, 6:09 a.m. — 3.2, 733 responses.

  • June 4, 4:35 p.m. — 2.2, 3 responses.

  • June 6, 12:08 a.m. — 2.5, 19 responses.

Smathers, who was already monitoring the devastating closure of the paper mill and accompanying layoffs numbering over 1,100 residents, posted on Twitter pledging to seek further information on the phenomenon.

“After a continued pattern of earthquakes that are increasing in magnitude, I will be asking DEQ and the NC Geological Society for an analysis of what is happening now and what we may expect,” Smathers wrote.

U.S.G.S map of Canton earthquakes.
U.S.G.S map of Canton earthquakes.

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More: Canton paper mill closure: What happens next for former employees, the town?

Smathers spoke June 5 to the Citizen Times about his findings so far. He said he has spoken to his board, county commissioners and Elizabeth Biser, secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality, in his search for answers.

“They're looking at all angles They're gathering information," he said. "I'm not losing sleep necessarily over this, but I want to understand it. I want to explain.”

Due to the changes that can be expected to the Canton environment following the mill shutdown, Smathers was already in contact with the DEQ and said they have been very helpful to the town’s cause so far.

“The DEQ and Secretary Biser have been wonderful to work with so far on all angles,” Smathers said. “I don't think any of us thought we would be dealing with the earthquake side of things, but they have responded as quickly and efficiently as they have anything to do with the mill. So I do appreciate that.”

Although this recent phenomenon might seem alarming at first glance, Smathers said that the impact from the mill closure and accompanying huge volume of layoffs has kept his residents from excess alarm.

More: Canton paper mill bell sounds for final time, signaling an end after 115 years

More: As smell, smoke clear with mill closing, real estate agents turn eyes on Canton

“We'll turn to the experts, we’ll listen — again, the more information, the better, and I know everyone's looking at all sorts of variables — and when there is something that's definite then obviously we will release it to the public, to the press because they want to know too,” Smathers said. “We’ve got nothing against Mother Earth, but we've got some bigger fish to fry.”

Iris Seaton is a news intern for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. 

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: 7 earthquakes since May 23 have shaken Canton, North Carolina