8 earthquakes strike North Carolina within one week
In one week, eight earthquakes between magnitudes 1.4 to 2.5 hit the Western North Carolina region, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
A town called Cherokee in the western part of North Carolina experienced six tremors in five days last week.
The strongest earthquake was a magnitude 2.5 around 11 p.m. EDT Wednesday approximately 2.5 miles southwest of Cherokee.
Last night's 2.3 magnitude earthquake near the North Carolina/Tennessee border is a reminder that eathhquakes can & do happen in our state. Register for the Southeast Shakeout earthquake drill on Oct. 17 and practice your earthquake preparedness. #ReadyNChttps://t.co/u2rZRmmyCu pic.twitter.com/bxWv0jl0Ge
— NC Emergency Managem (@NCEmergency) September 12, 2019
Three of the quakes were within hours of each other on Wednesday night, and they were nearby one another. The first one was a 2.3-magnitude earthquake at 8:13 p.m. EDT near Cherokee, North Carolina.
Four hours later, at 11:03 p.m. EDT, a magnitude 2.5 earthquake struck approximately two and a half miles away.
The third earthquake with a magnitude of 2.1 hit a few minutes later, at 11:14 p.m. EDT. The quake was almost at surface level, according to the USGS.
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Five of the earthquakes near Cherokee, North Carolina were in close to proximity to each other. |
Two more recent quakes struck closer to central North Carolina, near Greensboro.
Sept. 7, 8:14 p.m. EDT: 1.9 magnitude, 5 miles south of Cherokee, North Carolina
Sept. 9, 4:21 a.m. EDT: 1.4 magnitude, 3.1 miles south-southwest of Cherokee, North Carolina
Sept. 9, 3:08 p.m. EDT: 2.0 magnitude, 3.1 miles south-southwest of Cherokee, North Carolina
Sept. 11, 8:13 p.m. EDT: 2.3 magnitude, 3.7 miles south of Cherokee, North Carolina
Sept. 11, 11:03 p.m. EDT: 2.5 magnitude, 2.5 miles southwest of Cherokee, North Carolina
Sept. 11, 11:14 p.m. EDT: 2.1 magnitude, 3.7 miles south-southwest of Cherokee, North Carolina
Sept. 12, 10:48 p.m. EDT: 2.0 magnitude, 1.9 miles east-southeast of Greensboro, North Carolina
Sept. 13, 8:25 p.m. EDT: 2.4 magnitude, 3.7 miles east of Advance, North Carolina
Most of the quakes happened between three and four miles in depth below the surface. WFMY News reported people felt their house shake and heard a loud "boom" that sounded like an explosion in the 2.3-magnitude earthquake that hit in between Arcadia and Advance. Others felt the quake as far away as Winston-Salem.
There were no reports of injuries or damage.
