QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.4md

Earthquake near Winston-Salem, NC

No earthquake was likely felt in Winston-Salem in the 24 hours to 9:14 am EST (14:14 UTC). The last one was M 4.8, 699 km (435 mi) NE, at 10:23 am EDT on 5 April 2024, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 184,673 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Winston-Salem

This page: a magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) south-southwest of Winston-Salem, NC, at 8:58 am EST on 21 November 2021 (13:58 UTC), 2.0 km deep. 216 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 5 km SSW of Winston-Salem, North Carolina

6 km (3 mi) S of Winston-Salem, NC

8:58 am EST, Nov 21, 2021 · · 2.0 km deep · released about 120 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Winston-Salem Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Forsyth County 9 kmDavie County 29 kmDavidson County 29 kmStokes County 38 kmYadkin County 38 kmGuilford County 43 kmRowan County 51 kmSurry County 55 kmRandolph County 56 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
8:58 am EST on 21 November 2021 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) south-southwest of Winston-Salem, NC · earthquakes near Winston-Salem
North Carolina today
every earthquake in North Carolina in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.4 (md)
Depth
2.0 km below the surface
Felt
216 reports · strongest reported intensity V
Nearest
Forsyth County, 9 km N
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1747 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 42 km (26 mi) from the epicentre. In Winston-Salem, 5 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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: Clemmons, Midway, Wallburg, Lewisville, Bermuda Run, Welcome.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 120 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.4 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 120,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 86,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 7.7× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.4 about 120 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 36.0532, -80.2638. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Forsyth County, NC 9 km (5 mi) N earthquakes near Forsyth County
Davie County, NC 29 km (18 mi) WSW earthquakes near Davie County
Davidson County, NC 29 km (18 mi) S earthquakes near Davidson County
Stokes County, NC 38 km (24 mi) N earthquakes near Stokes County
Yadkin County, NC 38 km (24 mi) WNW earthquakes near Yadkin County
Guilford County, NC 43 km (27 mi) E earthquakes near Guilford County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 7 km WNW of Randleman, North Carolina
  2. 1.7 8 km NW of Randleman, North Carolina
  3. 1.6 7 km NW of Randleman, North Carolina
  4. 2.4 7 km NW of Randleman, North Carolina
  5. 1.9 7 km NW of Randleman, North Carolina
  6. 1.9 7 km NW of Randleman, North Carolina
  7. 2.3 8 km WNW of Randleman, North Carolina
  8. 2.3 8 km NW of Randleman, North Carolina
  9. 2.0 6 km E of Archdale, North Carolina
  10. 1.9 5 km SW of Winston-Salem, North Carolina
  11. 2.0 7 km SSW of Winston-Salem, North Carolina
  12. 1.7 7 km E of Lewisville, North Carolina
  13. 2.3 6 km SW of Winston-Salem, 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.