QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0md

Earthquake near Weaverville, NC

No earthquake was likely felt in Weaverville in the 24 hours to 4:17 am EST (09:17 UTC). The last one was M 2.0, 8 km (5 mi) ENE, at 7:57 am EDT on 23 August 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 4 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Weaverville

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 8 km (5 mi) east-northeast of Weaverville, NC, at 7:57 am EDT on 23 August 2026 (11:57 UTC), 3.6 km deep. 4 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 8 km ENE of Weaverville, North Carolina

18 km (11 mi) NNE of Asheville, NC · 136 km (84 mi) ESE of Knoxville, TN

7:57 am EDT, Aug 23, 2026 · · 3.6 km deep · released about 27 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Buncombe County 13 kmYancey County 25 kmMadison County 27 kmMcDowell County 39 kmHenderson County 42 kmUnicoi County 43 kmMitchell County 43 kmHaywood County 49 kmPolk County 56 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
7:57 am EDT on 23 August 2026 ()
Where
8 km (5 mi) east-northeast of Weaverville, NC · earthquakes near Weaverville
North Carolina today
every earthquake in North Carolina in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.0 (md)
Depth
3.6 km below the surface
Felt
4 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Buncombe County, 13 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 79 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 Weaverville, 8 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.

Likely felt in: Asheville 15 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 27 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 5.8 560,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 390,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 35× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 27 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 · 24 km S 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 35.7182, -82.4758. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Buncombe County, NC 13 km (8 mi) SSW earthquakes near Buncombe County
Yancey County, NC 25 km (15 mi) NE earthquakes near Yancey County
Madison County, NC 27 km (17 mi) NW earthquakes near Madison County
McDowell County, NC 39 km (24 mi) E earthquakes near McDowell County
Henderson County, NC 42 km (26 mi) S earthquakes near Henderson County
Unicoi County, TN 43 km (27 mi) N earthquakes near Unicoi County

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

Aftershocks so far

No further earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

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.