It was the most damaging earthquake in the Southeast and one of the largest earthquakes in the eastern United States in historical times. This earthquake was felt up and down the East Coast and throughout the Midwest. Modified from USGS Professional Paper 1527. An isoseismal map indicates areas of equal (iso) shaking (seismicity). This earthquake was “felt” in a much larger area than the 1916 earthquake (fig. 27).įigure 27: The Modified Mercalli map of the 1886 earthquake centered in Charleston, S.C. It was estimated to be a magnitude 6.7, with an intensity of X (10) on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale (fig. In 1886 there was a large earthquake centered in Charleston, S.C. 26).ĭamage descriptions from the earthquake include “Chimneys were thrown to the ground, windowpanes cracked and people rushed into the streets.” The Modified Mercalli map of intensity shows how far the effects of the 1916 earthquake were felt (fig. As referenced in the United States Geological Survey Professional Paper 1527, in 1916 there was a magnitude 5.2 earthquake, with an intensity of VII (7) on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale, near Skyland in Buncombe County (fig. There have been a few strong earthquakes in our mountain region in the last 100 years. Many factors determine the intensity of an earthquake at the surface of the earth, such as the depth where the earthquake originates and what kinds of rock and soil are at the surface. This scale has twelve levels designated by Roman numerals I – XII (one through twelve), to symbolize the amount of damage felt by the earthquake. The Magnitude Scale is an attempt to measure how much energy was released by the earthquake and is the number that most people associate with an earthquake, for example “magnitude 3.” The Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale describes how earthquakes “feel” and how much destruction the earthquake causes. Two of those scales are the Magnitude Scale and the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale. Scientists use various scales to determine the strength of an earthquake (fig. Earthquakes are more frequent in the western part of our state, but statewide they are relatively small, random and scattered events. In contrast, there are no active fault zones in North Carolina. In California there are many active faults where large, damaging earthquakes occur frequently. It is very important to realize that even though North Carolina and the east coast of the United States experience occasional earthquakes, this area is not a seismically active area like California and the West Coast. The 1886 Charleston earthquake occurred in the Charleston, S.C., seismic zone. This earthquake occurred in the Central Virginia seismic zone. 9, 2003, a 4.5 magnitude earthquake near Richmond, Va., was felt in areas of Raleigh. There are also small clusters of earthquakes in other areas of the southeast. ![]() Scientists are studying this area to determine why so many earthquakes happen here. The long cluster of circles stretching from Tennessee through the edge of western North Carolina into northern Georgia is known as the Eastern Tennessee seismic zone, or earthquake zone. The effects of an earthquake cover a much larger area than the location of the dot or epicenter. ![]() 24).Ĭircles and squares represent earthquake epicenters and bigger symbols represent larger magnitude earthquakes. ![]() As you can see from the earthquake map, these seismic events originate in our state and surrounding states (fig. North Carolina has its share of earthquakes, but large, damaging seismic events are infrequent in our state. Explore North Carolina's Historic Earthquake Events and Recent Earthquake Events by Clicking on the Map Below.
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