Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.3md
Earthquake near Sparta, NC
USGS: 1 km E of Sparta, North Carolina
- When
- 5:46 pm EDT on 20 August 2020 ()
- Where
- in Sparta, NC · earthquakes near Sparta
- Magnitude
- M 2.3 (md)
- Depth
- 3.0 km below the surface
- Felt
- 37 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
- Nearest
- Alleghany County, 3 km SW
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2162 days ago
A magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded in Sparta, NC, at 5:46 pm EDT on 20 August 2020 (21:46 UTC). 37 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: Thurmond, Galax, Hays.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 94 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.3 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 160,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 110,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 10× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.3 about 94 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
The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 5.1 on 2020-08-09 — about 14,000 times the energy of this one.
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 36.5042, -81.1050. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alleghany County, NC | 3 km (2 mi) | SW | earthquakes near Alleghany County |
| Grayson County, VA | 19 km (12 mi) | NNW | earthquakes near Grayson County |
| Galax city, VA | 25 km (15 mi) | NE | earthquakes near Galax city |
| Wilkes County, NC | 33 km (21 mi) | S | earthquakes near Wilkes County |
| Ashe County, NC | 36 km (22 mi) | W | earthquakes near Ashe County |
| Surry County, NC | 39 km (24 mi) | ESE | earthquakes near Surry County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
52 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 1.9 3 km WNW of Thurmond, North Carolina
- 2.2 9 km ESE of Independence, Virginia
- 2.2 7 km SSE of Sparta, North Carolina
- 2.1 4 km WSW of Lowgap, North Carolina
- 2.2 16 km E of Jefferson, North Carolina
- 2.0 8 km S of Sparta, North Carolina
- 2.2 7 km SSE of Sparta, North Carolina
- 2.2 6 km SSE of Sparta, North Carolina
- 2.1 1 km ESE of Sparta, North Carolina
- 2.3 5 km SE of Sparta, North Carolina
- 2.3 2 km E of Sparta, North Carolina
- 1.5 8 km W of Lowgap, North Carolina
- 2.3 8 km W of Lowgap, North Carolina
- 2.6 Virginia-North Carolina border region
- 2.7 5 km S of Hillsville, Virginia
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.