HAYWOOD COUNTY, N.C. — An earthquake was reported in the western mountainous region of North Carolina on Tuesday.
A 2.6 magnitude earthquake occurred in Haywood County just west of Asheville on Tuesday around 7:30 p.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
The USGS estimates the earthquake had a depth of 1.1 km.
No injuries or damage have been reported from the earthquake at this time.
Anyone who felt this earthquake can share their experience with the USGS here.
This is the third earthquake reported in North Carolina this month. On May 12, a 2.1 magnitude earthquake was reported in Pineville, and on May 14, a 1.9 earthquake was reported in Cherokee County close to the NC-Tennessee state line, according to the USGS.
While the cause of this quake is not officially known, earthquakes can occur by the moving of plates within the Earth.
“Eventually, you get to the point when material rock can’t take it anymore. And as a result, fails," South Carolina Geologist Scott Howard previously told Meteorologist KJ Jacobs for a WCNC Charlotte Weather IQ.
Other quakes are caused by humans. They're known as induced quakes and could be the result of tunnel construction and fracking projects.
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