QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.7md

Earthquake near Laurel Park, NC

No earthquake was likely felt in Laurel Park in the 24 hours to 7:41 pm EST (00:41 UTC). The last one was M 2.3, 22 km (14 mi) SW, at 9:35 am EDT on 23 September 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 26 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Laurel Park

This page: a magnitude 2.7 earthquake was recorded in Laurel Park, NC, at 10:23 pm EST on 7 December 2022 (03:23 UTC), 1.5 km deep. 882 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 0 km S of Laurel Park, North Carolina

30 km (19 mi) S of Asheville, NC

10:23 pm EST, Dec 7, 2022 · · 1.5 km deep · released about 330 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Laurel Park Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Henderson County 4 kmPolk County 30 kmTransylvania County 31 kmBuncombe County 34 kmGreenville County 47 kmPickens County 51 kmHaywood County 52 kmRutherford County 53 kmJackson County 57 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
10:23 pm EST on 7 December 2022 ()
Where
in Laurel Park, NC · earthquakes near Laurel Park
North Carolina today
every earthquake in North Carolina in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.7 (md)
Depth
1.5 km below the surface
Felt
882 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Henderson County, 4 km NNE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1014 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 56 km (35 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.

Likely felt in: Asheville 33 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 330 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 46,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 33,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 2.9× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.7 about 330 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 lists one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.2 Near Asheville, North Carolina · 22 km N of this epicentre

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 35.3063, -82.4927. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Henderson County, NC 4 km (2 mi) NNE earthquakes near Henderson County
Polk County, NC 30 km (18 mi) E earthquakes near Polk County
Transylvania County, NC 31 km (19 mi) WSW earthquakes near Transylvania County
Buncombe County, NC 34 km (21 mi) N earthquakes near Buncombe County
Greenville County, SC 47 km (29 mi) SSE earthquakes near Greenville County
Pickens County, SC 51 km (32 mi) SSW earthquakes near Pickens County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.3 7 km SE of Brevard, North Carolina
  2. 2.1 8 km W of Rosman, North Carolina
  3. 2.0 8 km ENE of Weaverville, North Carolina
  4. 2.0 7 km SSW of Canton, North Carolina
  5. 1.8 8 km W of Rosman, North Carolina
  6. 1.8 8 km SSE of Clyde, North Carolina
  7. 2.0 7 km SSE of Clyde, North Carolina
  8. 2.1 8 km S of West Canton, North Carolina
  9. 1.7 8 km ENE of Weaverville, North Carolina
  10. 1.9 7 km SSE of Clyde, North Carolina
  11. 1.9 8 km E of Weaverville, North Carolina
  12. 1.9 4 km N of West Canton, North Carolina
  13. 1.6 9 km W of Rosman, North Carolina
  14. 1.7 5 km W of Rosman, North Carolina
  15. 1.7 9 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

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