QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7md

Earthquake near Charlotte, NC

No earthquake was likely felt in Charlotte in the 24 hours to 10:23 pm EST (03:23 UTC). The last one was M 2.2, 10 km (7 mi) WSW, at 2:41 am EDT on 6 May 2024, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 15 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Charlotte

This page: a magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded 40 km (25 mi) south of Charlotte, NC, at 11:52 pm EDT on 24 September 2024 (03:52 UTC), 7.4 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 5 km W of Jaars, North Carolina

38 km (24 mi) S of Charlotte, NC · 21 km (13 mi) ESE of Rock Hill, SC

11:52 pm EDT, Sep 24, 2024 · · 7.4 km deep · released about 11 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Lancaster County 22 kmUnion County 29 kmYork County 37 kmChester County 38 kmMecklenburg County 43 kmGaston County 58 kmFairfield County 60 kmKershaw County 62 kmCabarrus County 63 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
11:52 pm EDT on 24 September 2024 ()
Where
40 km (25 mi) south of Charlotte, NC · earthquakes near Charlotte
North Carolina today
every earthquake in North Carolina in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.7 (md)
Depth
7.4 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Lancaster County, 22 km SSE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 777 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 11 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Charlotte, 40 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: Waxhaw, Catawba, Marvin, Lesslie, Mineral Springs, Lancaster.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 11 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,400,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 970,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 86× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 11 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 34.8650, -80.8037. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Lancaster County, SC 22 km (14 mi) SSE earthquakes near Lancaster County
Union County, NC 29 km (18 mi) ENE earthquakes near Union County
York County, SC 37 km (23 mi) WNW earthquakes near York County
Chester County, SC 38 km (24 mi) WSW earthquakes near Chester County
Mecklenburg County, NC 43 km (26 mi) N earthquakes near Mecklenburg County
Gaston County, NC 58 km (36 mi) NW earthquakes near Gaston County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 9 km SSW of Kershaw, South Carolina
  2. 2.2 7 km SSW of Jaars, North Carolina
  3. 2.0 5 km SSW of Marshville, 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.