Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.2md
Earthquake near Cherokee, NC
USGS: 6 km SSW of Cherokee, North Carolina
83 km (52 mi) SE of Knoxville, TN
- When
- 5:17 pm EST on 29 December 2019 ()
- Where
- 6 km (4 mi) SSW of Cherokee, NC · earthquakes near Cherokee
- Magnitude
- M 2.2 (md)
- Depth
- 0.1 km below the surface
- Felt
- 4 reports · strongest reported intensity III
- Nearest
- Swain County, 21 km NW
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2393 days ago
A magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded 6 km (4 mi) SSW of Cherokee, NC, at 5:17 pm EST on 29 December 2019 (22:17 UTC). 4 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: Sylva, Bryson City, Cullowhee, Maggie Valley, Franklin, Hazelwood.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 54 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.2 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 280,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 200,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 18× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.2 about 54 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 35.4208, -83.3287. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swain County, NC | 21 km (13 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Swain County |
| Jackson County, NC | 24 km (15 mi) | SE | earthquakes near Jackson County |
| Macon County, NC | 31 km (19 mi) | SSW | earthquakes near Macon County |
| Haywood County, NC | 35 km (22 mi) | ENE | earthquakes near Haywood County |
| Sevier County, TN | 44 km (28 mi) | NNW | earthquakes near Sevier County |
| Graham County, NC | 46 km (29 mi) | W | earthquakes near Graham County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
50 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 2.1 8 km S of West Canton, North Carolina
- 1.9 7 km SSE of Clyde, North Carolina
- 1.9 4 km N of West Canton, North Carolina
- 2.3 4 km N of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
- 1.8 8 km NNW of Bryson City, North Carolina
- 2.2 10 km W of Forest Hills, North Carolina
- 2.6 10 km SSW of Dillsboro, North Carolina
- 1.6 9 km W of Rosman, North Carolina
- 1.7 9 km W of Rosman, North Carolina
- 1.9 7 km W of Rosman, North Carolina
- 1.7 10 km W of Rosman, North Carolina
- 2.0 11 km W of Rosman, North Carolina
- 1.7 12 km W of Rosman, North Carolina
- 2.2 9 km W of Rosman, North Carolina
- 1.5 7 km W of Rosman, 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.