QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0md

Earthquake near Statesville, NC

No earthquake was likely felt in Statesville in the 24 hours to 9:50 am EST (14:50 UTC). The last one was M 3.2, 181 km (112 mi) W, at 6:09 am EDT on 4 June 2023, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 740 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Statesville

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) west of Statesville, NC, at 4:33 am EDT on 17 April 2021 (08:33 UTC), less than 1 km deep. 26 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 5 km W of Statesville, North Carolina

64 km (40 mi) N of Charlotte, NC · 24 km (15 mi) NNW of Mooresville, NC

4:33 am EDT, Apr 17, 2021 · · 0.1 km deep · released about 26 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Iredell County 7 kmAlexander County 26 kmCatawba County 27 kmDavie County 40 kmLincoln County 41 kmRowan County 41 kmYadkin County 49 kmWilkes County 52 kmCaldwell County 55 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
4:33 am EDT on 17 April 2021 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) west of Statesville, NC · earthquakes near Statesville
North Carolina today
every earthquake in North Carolina in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.0 (md)
Depth
0.1 km below the surface
Felt
26 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Iredell County, 7 km ENE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 550 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 23 km (14 mi) from the epicentre. In Statesville, 5 km away, the estimate is intensity II (weak). 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: Troutman, Stony Point, Sherrills Ford, Claremont, Lake Norman of Catawba, Mooresville.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 26 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 5.8 580,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 410,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 36× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 26 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 35.7763, -80.9450. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Iredell County, NC 7 km (4 mi) ENE earthquakes near Iredell County
Alexander County, NC 26 km (16 mi) NW earthquakes near Alexander County
Catawba County, NC 27 km (17 mi) WSW earthquakes near Catawba County
Davie County, NC 40 km (25 mi) ENE earthquakes near Davie County
Lincoln County, NC 41 km (25 mi) SW earthquakes near Lincoln County
Rowan County, NC 41 km (26 mi) ESE earthquakes near Rowan County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 3 km SE of Troutman, North Carolina
  2. 1.8 North Carolina
  3. 2.0 3 km ESE of Catawba, North Carolina
  4. 2.1 3 km ESE of Catawba, North Carolina
  5. 2.1 3 km NNE of Cooleemee, 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.