QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3md

Earthquake near Brevard, NC

No earthquake was likely felt in Brevard in the 24 hours to 12:35 pm EST (17:35 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 2.3 earthquake was recorded 8 km (5 mi) southeast of Brevard, NC, at 9:35 am EDT on 23 September 2026 (13:35 UTC), 9.4 km deep. 26 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 7 km SE of Brevard, North Carolina

45 km (28 mi) SSW of Asheville, NC · 144 km (90 mi) SE of Knoxville, TN

9:35 am EDT, Sep 23, 2026 · · 9.4 km deep · released about 77 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Transylvania County 13 kmHenderson County 25 kmPickens County 33 kmJackson County 42 kmGreenville County 43 kmPolk County 48 kmBuncombe County 49 kmHaywood County 50 kmOconee County 59 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
9:35 am EDT on 23 September 2026 ()
Where
8 km (5 mi) southeast of Brevard, NC · earthquakes near Brevard
North Carolina today
every earthquake in North Carolina in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.3 (md)
Depth
9.4 km below the surface
Felt
26 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Transylvania County, 13 km WNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 48 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 35 km (22 mi) from the epicentre. In Brevard, 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Etowah, Horse Shoe, Valley Hill, Laurel Park, Slater-Marietta, Flat Rock.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 77 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 200,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 140,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 12× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.3 about 77 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 · 39 km NNE 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 35.1817, -82.6802. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Transylvania County, NC 13 km (8 mi) WNW earthquakes near Transylvania County
Henderson County, NC 25 km (16 mi) NE earthquakes near Henderson County
Pickens County, SC 33 km (21 mi) S earthquakes near Pickens County
Jackson County, NC 42 km (26 mi) WNW earthquakes near Jackson County
Greenville County, SC 43 km (27 mi) SE earthquakes near Greenville County
Polk County, NC 48 km (30 mi) ENE earthquakes near Polk 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.