ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — A small earthquake rattled part of Haywood County late Monday night, though most people likely never noticed.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a magnitude 1.9 earthquake struck at 10:42 p.m. Monday about 4 miles southeast of Clyde. The quake occurred at a depth of roughly 2.7 miles beneath the surface.
No damage or injuries were reported.
While a magnitude 1.9 earthquake is considered minor, seismic activity is not unusual in Western North Carolina. The region sits within the Eastern Tennessee Seismic Zone, one of the most active earthquake zones in the southeastern United States.
The seismic zone stretches from parts of West Virginia through eastern Tennessee and into Alabama. Most earthquakes recorded in the region are small — typically below magnitude 2.0 — and often go unnoticed. However, the dense bedrock of the Appalachian Mountains allows seismic waves to travel farther than they do in many parts of the country, meaning even modest earthquakes can sometimes be felt across a wider area.
Western North Carolina has experienced larger quakes in the past. The most significant earthquake in recent state history occurred Aug. 9, 2020, when a magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck near Sparta in Alleghany County. The quake was felt across much of the Southeast and generated more than 66,000 reports from people who experienced the shaking.
Although Asheville lies within the Eastern Tennessee Seismic Zone, records compiled by QuakeTrace show no earthquakes of magnitude 4.0 or greater within 75 kilometers (about 47 miles) of the city since 2000. Smaller earthquakes, however, occur regularly throughout the mountains and foothills.
Experts say residents should not be surprised when occasional minor earthquakes occur in the region. Most are too weak to cause damage and serve as reminders that the Appalachian Mountains remain seismically active, even if major earthquakes are rare.