Earthquake in Great Smoky Mountains felt up to 16 miles away, geologists say

An earthquake rattled hiking trails deep within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Wednesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The quake, which occurred about 9:08 a.m., was on the Tennessee side of the park and registered at 2.4 magnitude, the USGS reported.

People in both Tennessee and North Carolina reported feeling the quake, some as far as 16 miles away, the USGS says. Multiple commenters on the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Facebook page reported hearing “a boom” that resembled thunder and feeling shaking.

It was centered nearly 6 miles below the surface, 1 mile east of Mount Le Conte and south of the Brushy Mountain Trail and Porters Creek Trail areas, the National Park Service said in a Facebook post.

At 6,595 feet, Mount LeConte is among the tallest mountain peaks in the east, “rising over a vertical mile from Gatlinburg,” according to the park service.

No damage was reported in the park, officials said.

“The Smokies is a moderately geologically active area, with one to three minor earthquakes occurring yearly in the region,” the National Park Service said in its Facebook post. “To date, none of this movement has caused any adverse impact on park visitors or facilities.”

Earthquakes as big as a 3.2 magnitude have been reported in the park in recent years, according to an NPS report.

Millions of years ago, the region was once among the most geologically active sites on the planet, due to colliding tectonic plates.

“Evidence of earlier plate tectonic geologic events are found in rocks of the Great Smoky Mountains, attesting to an incredibly long and active geologic history in this area,” the park service says.

“The last great episode of mountain building uplifted the entire Appalachian mountain chain from Newfound-land, Canada to Alabama. These mountains probably were much higher than today, with elevations similar to today’s Rockies.”