Didn’t you feel it? 3.5-magnitude earthquake hits North Carolina | WFAE 90.7

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The US Geological Survey recorded a 3.5-magnitude earthquake early Sunday morning near the town of West Canton, about 22 miles west of Asheville.

The shaking was felt around 6:09 a.m. at a depth of 2.9 km, according to the USGS.

As of 10 a.m. Sunday, more than 400 people had reported feeling the shaking — some as far away as Asheville and Hendersonville.

West Canton earthquake on June 4, 2023.

It is unclear if there was any damage. Usually, earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 to 5.1 can be felt and cause little damage, according to the USGS. Earthquakes of less than 2.5 magnitude are not usually felt by people.

Sunday’s quake is the fifth to hit the West Canton area in the past two weeks. On May 23, the USGS recorded a 2.8-magnitude earthquake near the city, and on May 25, a 2.4-magnitude earthquake was recorded in the area.

Two smaller earthquakes were recorded near West Canton on May 25 and May 26.

The USGS says moderately destructive earthquakes hit the Inland Carolina every few decades, and smaller earthquakes are felt once every year or two.

The interior of the Carolinas is dotted with known faults, but many smaller or deeply buried faults remain undetected, and even known faults are poorly located at earthquake depths. Accordingly, a few earthquakes in the Inland Carolina can be linked to named faults.

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