Five earthquakes in 15 hours rattle the Carolinas and Tennessee, geologists say
At least five earthquakes reaching up to 2.4 magnitude rattled the Carolinas and Tennessee within 24 hours, the U.S. Geological Survey reports.
The other quakes ranged from 1.7 to 2.2 magnitude, according to the USGS.
The series of quakes began around 5:30 p.m. on Sunday in Mulberry, North Carolina, the USGS reported. More followed over the next several hours, with the most recent one striking around 8 a.m. Monday.
The largest 2.4 quake hit around 11 p.m. near Centerville, South Carolina, according to the USGS. At least 480 people, some as far as 300 miles away in Georgia, reported feeling the tremor to the agency.
Here’s a list of the latest earthquakes over the last 24 hours:
- Sunday, March 15 at 5:37 p.m. about 5.6 miles from Mulberry, North Carolina. The 1.9 magnitude quake was 3.6 miles deep.
- Sunday, March 15 at 10:59 p.m. about 3 miles from Centerville, South Carolina. The 2.4 magnitude quake was 2.9 miles deep.
- Monday, March 16 at 3:41 a.m. about 1.2 miles from Flat Rock, North Carolina. The 2.2 magnitude quake was 3.6 miles deep.
- Monday, March 16 at 5:32 a.m. about 7.5 miles from Newbern, Tennessee. The 1.7 magnitude quake was 4.6 miles deep.
- Monday, March 16 at 8:02 a.m. about 3.7 miles from Mascot, Tennessee. The 1.8 magnitude quake was 5.7 miles deep.
Magnitude measures the energy released at the source of the earthquake, the U.S. Geological Survey says. It replaces the old Richter scale.
Quakes between 2.5 and 5.4 magnitude are often felt but rarely cause much damage, according to Michigan Tech.
This story was originally published March 16, 2020 at 12:11 PM.
