QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0md

Earthquake near Spruce Pine, NC

No earthquake was likely felt in Spruce Pine in the 24 hours to 9:12 am EST (14:12 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 23 km (14 mi) S, at 6:35 am EDT on 24 October 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 13 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Spruce Pine

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded in Spruce Pine, NC, at 11:07 am EDT on 9 July 2020 (15:07 UTC), 2.6 km deep.

USGS: 0 km SSE of Spruce Pine, North Carolina

56 km (35 mi) SSE of Johnson City, TN · 136 km (84 mi) NW of Charlotte, NC

11:07 am EDT, Jul 9, 2020 · · 2.6 km deep · released about 32 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Spruce Pine Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Mitchell County 15 kmYancey County 22 kmAvery County 22 kmMcDowell County 25 kmBurke County 37 kmUnicoi County 39 kmCarter County 42 kmWatauga County 48 kmCaldwell County 50 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
11:07 am EDT on 9 July 2020 ()
Where
in Spruce Pine, NC · earthquakes near Spruce Pine
North Carolina today
every earthquake in North Carolina in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.0 (md)
Depth
2.6 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Mitchell County, 15 km NW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2285 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 25 km (16 mi) from the epicentre. Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Burnsville, Marion, West Marion.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 32 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 470,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 330,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 30× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 32 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 35.9080, -82.0605. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Mitchell County, NC 15 km (9 mi) NW earthquakes near Mitchell County
Yancey County, NC 22 km (14 mi) W earthquakes near Yancey County
Avery County, NC 22 km (14 mi) NE earthquakes near Avery County
McDowell County, NC 25 km (16 mi) S earthquakes near McDowell County
Burke County, NC 37 km (23 mi) ESE earthquakes near Burke County
Unicoi County, TN 39 km (24 mi) WNW earthquakes near Unicoi County

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

18 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 2.0 8 km ENE of Weaverville, North Carolina
  2. 1.7 8 km ENE of Weaverville, North Carolina
  3. 1.9 8 km E of Weaverville, North Carolina
  4. 1.7 6 km WSW of Newland, North Carolina
  5. 2.1 3 km NW of Marion, North Carolina
  6. 2.2 3 km NNW of Marion, North Carolina
  7. 1.8 8 km W of Bakersville, North Carolina
  8. 2.2 8 km WNW of Roan Mountain, Tennessee
  9. 1.8 12 km N of Old Fort, North Carolina
  10. 2.0 7 km N of Spruce Pine, North Carolina
  11. 2.1 5 km NNE of Blowing Rock, North Carolina
  12. 1.8 5 km NNW of Weaverville, North Carolina
  13. 1.9 5 km N of Weaverville, North Carolina
  14. 1.8 9 km E of Bakersville, North Carolina
  15. 2.6 6 km N of Morganton, 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

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.