An earthquake was recorded in the Charlotte region overnight, USGS reports

A 2.2 earthquake registered northwest of Charlotte in Catawba County early Wednesday, May 11, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

It happened at 12:41 a.m. and was centered about 1.8 miles east, southeast of the Catawba community, the USGS says. A depth has not yet been reported.

Catawba is about 50 miles northwest of uptown Charlotte, along the Catawba River, and has a population of about 600 people.

Eight people reported feeling the shaking, including one person in south Charlotte, according to USGS site data.

The quake is at least the second reported in that part of Catawba County since February 2021, when a 1.6 magnitude one occurred at 8 a.m. Five people reported feeling that tremor, which was centered less than a tenth of a half down, USGS reported.

“The magnitude, location, and depth of an earthquake, and overlying soil conditions determine how widely and strongly any particular event can be felt,” the USGS says. “Typically, people report feeling earthquakes larger than about magnitude 3.0.”

The 2.2 quake happened at a time when the Columbia area of South Carolina is experiencing an ongoing series of earthquakes (seven in two days), with the strongest being a 3.3, The State reports.

Sparta, North Carolina, experienced a 5.1 earthquake Aug. 9, 2020, that researchers recently discovered left a “rupture” in the ground more than 1.5 miles long, The Charlotte Observer reported in April.

This story was originally published May 11, 2022 at 12:07 PM.