The U.S. Geological Survey reported a 1.7-magnitude earthquake in Avery County Saturday morning.
According to USGS, the small quake occurred at 6:06 a.m. 3.7 miles west-southwest of Newland.
According to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Mitchell and Avery counties are part of the Eastern Tennessee seismic zone, an earthquake zone that stretches from Tennessee to North Georgia.
DEQ reports that while North Carolina has its fair share of earthquakes, large and damaging quakes are quite rare in this region. Unlike areas such as California, there are no zones considered “active fault zones” in North Carolina.
However, in 1916, there was a magnitude 5.2 quake in Buncombe County. Witnesses to that quake, which happened near Skyland, reported that “Chimneys were thrown to the ground, windowpanes cracked and people rushed into the streets.”
According to DEQ, modern building codes take into account the possibility of a significant earthquake, even in this region, and are designed to prevent major structural and infrastructure damage. Older infrastructure may be more easily damaged.