![]() West Canton is about 150 miles northwest of Charlotte.Įarthquakes' sudden, rapid shaking can cause fires, tsunamis, landslides or avalanches. ![]() Those faults date back hundreds of million years-to when the Appalachians were formed-and they can occasionally become active when stress builds in spots where the rock is weak, experts say. The Appalachian Mountains are not on an active tectonic plate boundary-where earthquakes are common-but the region has sporadic minor quakes linked to old fault lines, geologists say. Sometimes, we have other earthquakes when those rocks come back to some kind of equilibrium," USGS officials told McClatchy News.Īll eight earthquakes were shallow and minor in magnitude, but that's not to say stronger quakes aren't possible, the USGS says. "Earthquakes are caused when rocks under ground move. They also don't know if the "cluster" will continue or come to a sudden halt. That means there is definitely an old fault in the area, the USGS says, but experts are at a loss as to why it has suddenly become active. That was filed by someone who felt weak shaking 8 miles away in the town of Clyde, the USGS says.Īll the quakes originated near Chambers Mountain, north of Interstate 40. Hundreds of witnesses have reported feeling some of the stronger quakes, but the latest had only one witness report as of midday Friday. That's the same general area where seven previous earthquakes have been recorded since May 23, ranging from a 1.8 to a 3.2, records show. The quake was a 2.1, centered in a sparsely populated area about 2.4 miles north of West Canton.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |