A 5.1 magnitude earthquake struck just a mile south of Sparta, North Carolina on Sunday, August 9. | Pixabay
A 5.1 magnitude earthquake struck just a mile south of Sparta, North Carolina on Sunday, August 9. | Pixabay
North Carolina experienced its strongest earthquake since 1916 on the morning of Aug. 9.
The 5.1 magnitude quake struck at 8:07 a.m. a mile south of Sparta, an Allegheny County town near the Virginia border with a population approximately 1,800. Sparta is about 100 miles north of Charlotte.
It was the second of two quakes, the first a magnitude 2.6 occurring at 1:57 a.m. Aug. 9, WBT reported.
The U.S. Geological Survey said people reported strong shaking and being roused from sleep when the quake, centered about 2.2 miles deep, hit the region.
No damage has been reported. Photos on social media show cracks in the pavement, crumbling brick facades on homes and items tossed off store shelves according to the Charlotte Observer.
The 1916 earthquake struck around Skyland and was reported at a 5.2 magnitude according to the Charlotte Observer.
Earthquakes are less common in the Carolinas than on the West Coast, but they is a history of seismic activity around the Appalachain Mountains.
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