Every recorded earthquake within 30 km
Earthquakes near Sawmills, NC
No earthquake was likely felt in Sawmills in the 24 hours to 1:14 pm EST (18:14 UTC). The last one was M 4.1, 229 km (142 mi) W, at 9:04 am EDT on 10 May 2025, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 45,935 felt reports to USGS.
M 2.6
Latest: 9:19 am EDT on 17 August 2021 · 19 km (12 mi) W of Sawmills, NC
The most recent earthquake of M2.5 or more near Sawmills was M 2.6, 19 km (12 mi) W of Sawmills, NC, at 9:19 am EDT on 17 August 2021, 6 km deep. 1,161 people reported feeling it to USGS. The estimated shaking in Sawmills was intensity III (weak), felt by some people at rest indoors. 1 smaller earthquake has been recorded near Sawmills since; the newest is first in the list below.
No earthquake of M1.5 or more was recorded within 30 km (19 mi) of Sawmills in the last 24 hours.
- Last 24 hours
- 0
- Last 7 days
- 0
- Last 30 days
- 0 · since 2016, about one every 9 months
- Last 12 months
- 0
- Since 2016
- 14 earthquakes of M1.5 or more within 30 km
- Largest since 2016
- M 2.6 on 17 August 2021, 19 km (12 mi) W of Sawmills, NC
- Reported felt
- 8 of them have felt reports to USGS
USGS · feed checked · newest earthquake in our database · this page · counts are earthquakes of M1.5 or more within 30 km (19 mi) of the town centre; shaking is estimated for the town centre with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses
If you felt one
- Was that an earthquake? — checks what was recorded near you in the last hour
- Report what you felt to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us, and they are what produces the intensity maps
- Expect aftershocks, and be ready to Drop, Cover, and Hold On if you feel one; if you are in a damaged building, go outside and move away from it (Ready.gov, FEMA; what to do during and after an earthquake)
- North Carolina earthquakes today — every one in the state in the last 24 hours
- Earthquakes in North Carolina — with the state's activity score
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings or forecasts. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert and the MyShake app.
Earthquake alerts for Sawmills, NC
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Sawmills, NC. No account or email needed.
Alerts are on for .
Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
The last 30 days
The latest 14
- 2.2 25 km (16 mi) N of Sawmills, NC · felt by 6
- 2.6 19 km (12 mi) W of Sawmills, NC · felt by 1,161
- 1.7 24 km (15 mi) SE of Sawmills, NC · felt by 2
- 2.1 25 km (16 mi) N of Sawmills, NC · felt by 1
- 2.4 26 km (16 mi) SE of Sawmills, NC · felt by 79
- 1.6 21 km (13 mi) SE of Sawmills, NC · felt by 1
- 1.9 14 km (9 mi) NNE of Sawmills, NC
- 2.4 26 km (16 mi) N of Sawmills, NC · felt by 7
- 1.7 24 km (15 mi) SE of Sawmills, NC
- 1.8 28 km (17 mi) SE of Sawmills, NC
- 1.5 21 km (13 mi) SE of Sawmills, NC
- 1.8 26 km (16 mi) SE of Sawmills, NC
- 1.5 23 km (14 mi) SE of Sawmills, NC
- 2.1 26 km (16 mi) N of Sawmills, NC · felt by 18
From the QuakeIndex database, which reads the USGS feed every 30 seconds and holds the USGS catalogue for the US from 2016 (M1.5+). Times are Sawmills time. Distances are from the town centre. Quakes USGS named after Sawmills are listed even when they are further out.
Show these earthquakes on your own site: a free card with the latest quakes near Sawmills, for a local news site, school or neighborhood page.
On the map
The white circle is Sawmills; dots are the 14 most recent earthquakes within 30 km. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Estimated shaking in Sawmills
The strongest shaking in Sawmills from a quake since 2016 is estimated at intensity III (weak), from the M 2.6 on 17 August 2021, 19 km away. Intensity II and III are felt by some people at rest indoors; IV by most people indoors; V and above wakes sleepers and moves objects.
| Magnitude | When | Distance | Shaking in Sawmills (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 2.6 | 19 km | III · Weak · felt by 1,161 | |
| M 2.4 | 26 km | II · Weak · felt by 79 | |
| M 2.4 | 26 km | II · Weak · felt by 7 | |
| M 2.2 | 25 km | II · Weak · felt by 6 | |
| M 1.9 | 14 km | II · Weak |
An estimate for the town centre from magnitude, depth and distance, with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses (Atkinson & Wald, 2007), on the Modified Mercalli scale. All 5 reach intensity II or more in town, where people at rest start to notice. Ground conditions change it street by street. It describes the past, not a hazard.
Before 2016
The USGS record since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km of Sawmills.
USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900 to 2015. This is the record, not a forecast.
Be ready
Earthquakes cannot be predicted, here or anywhere, so the useful step is the one taken beforehand. The advice below is from the agencies responsible for it.
- Ready.gov: earthquakes (FEMA) — what to do before, during and after, including Drop, Cover, and Hold On
- Build a kit (FEMA) — water, food and supplies for several days; our summary
- USGS: preparedness — the hazard behind the advice, from the agency that records every quake on this page
- The Great ShakeOut — the yearly earthquake drill, with material for homes, schools and workplaces
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings or forecasts. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert and the MyShake app.