Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.1md
Earthquake near Lenoir, NC
USGS: 14 km NNW of Cedar Rock, North Carolina
- When
- 9:46 pm EST on 5 December 2016 ()
- Where
- 16 km (10 mi) N of Lenoir, NC · earthquakes near Lenoir
- Magnitude
- M 2.1 (md)
- Depth
- 4.8 km below the surface
- Felt
- 18 reports · strongest reported intensity III
- Nearest
- Caldwell County, 10 km S
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3501 days ago
A magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 16 km (10 mi) N of Lenoir, NC, at 9:46 pm EST on 5 December 2016 (02:46 UTC). 18 people have reported feeling it to USGS. This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.
Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Blowing Rock, Gamewell, Boone, Hudson, Foscoe, Cajahs Mountain.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 41 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.1 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 370,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 260,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 23× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.1 about 41 lb of TNT
Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.
For this area
No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.
Before 2016, the USGS record since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km.
Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.
Where
Epicentre 36.0597, -81.5218. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caldwell County, NC | 10 km (6 mi) | S | earthquakes near Caldwell County |
| Watauga County, NC | 26 km (16 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Watauga County |
| Alexander County, NC | 35 km (22 mi) | ESE | earthquakes near Alexander County |
| Avery County, NC | 36 km (22 mi) | W | earthquakes near Avery County |
| Wilkes County, NC | 36 km (22 mi) | ENE | earthquakes near Wilkes County |
| Burke County, NC | 39 km (24 mi) | SSW | earthquakes near Burke County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
15 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 2.0 3 km WSW of Millers Creek, North Carolina
- 1.9 9 km NNW of Millers Creek, North Carolina
- 1.7 6 km ESE of Mountain View, North Carolina
- 2.1 12 km NNW of Cedar Rock, North Carolina
- 2.0 4 km NW of Beech Mountain, North Carolina
- 1.6 3 km SSE of Brookford, North Carolina
- 1.9 5 km ESE of Cedar Rock, North Carolina
- 2.4 14 km NNW of Cedar Rock, North Carolina
- 1.9 2 km SW of Elk Park, NC
- 2.0 2 km NNE of Elk Park, North Carolina
- 1.7 6 km ESE of Mountain View, North Carolina
- 2.0 1 km WSW of Hays, North Carolina
- 2.7 2 km NE of Hays, North Carolina
- 1.5 3 km SSE of Brookford, North Carolina
- 1.5 5 km SE of Brookford, North Carolina
Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.
On USGS
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.