A shock of magnitude 5.1 shook the upper part of this eastern American state, without causing any victims.
A 5.1-magnitude earthquake rocked North Carolina on Sunday, a rare occurrence in the southeastern state of the United States where buildings shook but no injuries or major damage were immediately reported. reported.
According to the @USGS database, the 5.1 magnitude earthquake near Sparta, NC this morning is the second strongest earthquake to occur in NC since 1900. The strongest was a 5.2 magntitude earthquake near Skyland, NC in February 1916. #ncwx #scwx #gawx
— NWS GSP (@NWSGSP) August 9, 2020
The USGS observatory said the earthquake occurred at 8:07 am at a depth of 3.7 km, and that its epicenter was near the city of Sparta, near the Appalachian Mountains.
“Major earthquakes are relatively rare in this region,” the USGS noted. “In the 20th century, a single earthquake with a magnitude greater than 5 occurred 100 km from this one, in the Great Smoky Mountains, in 1916”.
The August 9th, 2020 M 5.1 earthquake near Sparta, North Carolina, occurred as a result of oblique-reverse faulting in the upper crust of the North American plate. https://t.co/e6EJR9N9eb pic.twitter.com/vSiAxd7vjF
— USGS_Seismic (@usgs_seismic) August 9, 2020
The earthquake “knocked things off our shelves and our TV cabinet,” Michaela Johnson, from nearby Traphill, told local channel WXII.
“When it started, it looked like a long thunderclap, and then it shook for three minutes,” said Emily Poff, another local resident. “It was very intense.”
The mayor of Sparta, Wes Brinegar, told local television that he had not been informed of any serious injuries or damage.