Small town near Charlotte has rare earthquake early Friday, geologists say
A rare earthquake was reported shortly before 8 a.m. Friday in Catawba County, northwest of Charlotte.
The U.S. Geological Survey rated it as a 1.6 magnitude quake, which means the shaking was too light to be felt by most people.
It originated less than a tenth of a mile deep,, in an area about a mile north of the town of Catawba, geologists said. Catawba is about 50 miles northwest of Charlotte, along the Catawba River, and has a population of about 600 people.
No witness accounts of people feeling the quake were listed by the USGS. “The magnitude, location, and depth of an earthquake, and overlying soil conditions determine how widely and strongly any particular event can be felt,” the USGS says. “Typically, people report feeling earthquakes larger than about magnitude 3.0.”
The earthquake came one day after Sparta, about 75 miles to the north, recorded a 2.2 earthquake, the USGS says.
Sparta is on the Virginia state line and has experienced several tremors since August 9, when a 5.1 magnitude quake caused extensive damage to homes and roads in the area, McClatchy News reported last year. It was the strongest earthquake in the N.C. since 1916, the National Weather Service said.
Four earthquakes have been recorded in Sparta over the past 30 days, ranging from 1.8 to 2.6, according to the USGS.
