5.1 magnitude quake hits North Carolina, United States

A 5.1 magnitude earthquake was reported near Sparta, North Carolina on August 9 morning, and thousands of people in the Charlotte area felt the remnants of it. It is one of the largest earthquakes ever reported in the state.

The quake was reported around 8:07 a.m., 2.6. miles away from Sparta. According to the United States Geological Survey, the epicenter was 36.8 miles from Boone and 46.1 miles from Lenoir. Sparta is in Alleghany County, just east of Ashe County. There have been seven earthquakes around Sparta in the last two days.

USGS officials say at least 25,000 people have reported feeling the earthquake across Charlotte and surrounding areas. The earthquake was recorded at a depth of 3.7 kilometers. There is no information on any damage or injuries sustained in this earthquake.

USGS says the largest earthquake in the N.C. area occurred in 1916. As referenced in the United States Geological Survey Professional Paper 1527, in 1916 there was a magnitude 5.2 earthquake, with an intensity of VII (7) on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale, near Skyland in Buncombe County.

Moderately damaging earthquakes strike the inland Carolinas every few decades, and smaller earthquakes are felt about once each year or two. “The USGS advises everyone to be aware of the possibility of aftershocks, especially when in or around vulnerable structures such as un-reinforced masonry buildings,” the website reads.

According to the USGS forecast, over the next week there is a 4 percent chance of one or more aftershocks that are larger than magnitude 5.1. It is likely that there will be smaller earthquakes over the next week, with as few as zero to as many as 57 magnitude 3 or higher aftershocks.

According to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, there have been a few strong earthquakes in the N.C. mountain region in the last 100 years. Since at least 1776, people living inland in North and South Carolina, and in adjacent parts of Georgia and Tennessee, have felt small earthquakes and suffered damage from infrequent larger ones.