QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7md

Earthquake near Brevard, NC

No earthquake was likely felt in Brevard in the 24 hours to 9:12 am EST (14:12 UTC). The last one was M 2.3, 8 km (5 mi) SE, at 9:35 am EDT on 23 September 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 26 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Brevard

This page: a magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded 20 km (12 mi) west-southwest of Brevard, NC, at 8:54 pm EDT on 18 October 2025 (00:54 UTC), less than 1 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 10 km W of Rosman, North Carolina

58 km (36 mi) SW of Asheville, NC · 129 km (80 mi) SE of Knoxville, TN

8:54 pm EDT, Oct 18, 2025 · · 0.1 km deep · released about 12 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Transylvania County 12 kmJackson County 23 kmPickens County 35 kmMacon County 45 kmHaywood County 45 kmHenderson County 46 kmOconee County 47 kmRabun County 52 kmGreenville County 59 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
8:54 pm EDT on 18 October 2025 ()
Where
20 km (12 mi) west-southwest of Brevard, NC · earthquakes near Brevard
North Carolina today
every earthquake in North Carolina in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.7 (md)
Depth
0.1 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Transylvania County, 12 km ENE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 306 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 14 km (9 mi) from the epicentre. In Brevard, 20 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: Cullowhee.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 12 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 1,200,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 870,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 78× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 12 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 35.1537, -82.9320. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Transylvania County, NC 12 km (8 mi) ENE earthquakes near Transylvania County
Jackson County, NC 23 km (14 mi) NW earthquakes near Jackson County
Pickens County, SC 35 km (22 mi) SSE earthquakes near Pickens County
Macon County, NC 45 km (28 mi) W earthquakes near Macon County
Haywood County, NC 45 km (28 mi) N earthquakes near Haywood County
Henderson County, NC 46 km (28 mi) ENE earthquakes near Henderson County

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

Aftershocks so far

17 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 7 km SSW of Canton, North Carolina
  4. 1.8 8 km W of Rosman, North Carolina
  5. 2.1 10 km SSW of Dillsboro, North Carolina
  6. 1.6 9 km NNE of Salem, South Carolina
  7. 1.8 8 km SSE of Clyde, North Carolina
  8. 2.0 7 km SSE of Clyde, North Carolina
  9. 2.1 8 km S of West Canton, North Carolina
  10. 1.9 7 km SSE of Clyde, North Carolina
  11. 1.9 4 km N of West Canton, North Carolina
  12. 2.2 10 km W of Forest Hills, North Carolina
  13. 2.6 10 km SSW of Dillsboro, North Carolina
  14. 1.6 9 km W of Rosman, North Carolina
  15. 1.7 5 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.