According to USGS, two relatively weak earthquakes rattled an area about 30 miles south and west of Greensboro on Sunday. The first earthquake struck 2:15 pm in the afternoon from a depth of 0.2 km; the second struck about a half hour later at 2:46 pm from a depth of 0.1 km; both were rated as a magnitude 2.3 event. The epicenter of both were located in Randleman, North Carolina, less than 5,000 feet away from each other. One was on the east side of I-74 while the other was on the west side.

According to USGS, earthquakes with a magnitude of 2.0 or less are rarely felt or heard by people, but once they exceed 2.0 , more and more people can feel them. While damage is possible with magnitude 3.0 events or greater, significant damage and casualties usually don’t occur until the magnitude of a seismic event rises to a 5.5 or greater rated event.

 

Earthquakes are not common in North Carolina, but they do occur, with most being small and not causing damage. While the state isn’t known for frequent or strong seismic activity, occasional tremors can be felt, and some larger earthquakes have been recorded in the past. While the mountains and foothills of western North Carolina are not located along an active tectonic plate boundary, the region still has minor earthquakes linked to old fault lines along the Appalachian Mountains.

According to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, while North Carolina is no stranger to earthquakes, large, damaging earthquakes are rare. Large, damaging seismic events are rare and the few felt in North Carolina had epicenters outside of the state. Most quakes in North Carolina originate from the East Tennessee seismic zone to the west, the Charleston, South Carolina seismic zone to the south, or the Central Virginia seismic zone to the north.  The most common and strongest earthquakes to strike the state have been in the western part along the Appalachian Mountains.