Fifth earthquake recorded near Canton in less than two weeks

CANTON, N.C. (WLOS) — A small town in Western North Carolina, and surrounding areas, have been rocked by yet another earthquake -- the fifth one in just a couple weeks.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reports a 3.2 magnitude earthquake occurred near Canton early Sunday morning, June 4, 2023.

'I'M STILL ANTSY,' HAYWOOD COUNTY RESIDENTS NERVOUS AFTER 4 EARTHQUAKES IN RECENT DAYS

The USGS reports the quake happened around 6:09 a.m. about 3 kilometers north of West Canton at a depth of about 2.9 kilometers.

This is the fifth and strongest quake in the Canton area over the span of less than two weeks. The USGS reports three other earthquakes have taken place in the time as well in the Tennessee/Kentucky area of the region.

MORE SHAKING! ANOTHER EARTHQUAKE RECORDED NEAR CANTON

Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers took to Twitter on Sunday, saying he would be asking the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality and North Carolina Geological Society "for an analysis of what is happening now and what we may expect."

Viewers have written to News 13, sharing where they felt the quake Sunday morning, from Canton, Clyde, Lake Junaluska, Waynesville, Leicester, Alexander and more areas.

Starting in 2021, an area of South Carolina began experiencing several earthquakes, one after the other, in what scientists have dubbed a "swarm" of earthquakes. This swarm centered around the Elgin area. The Associated Press reported scientists believed water seeping deep underground may have been causing the South Carolina earthquakes, adding that an initial earthquake may have allowed water from a nearby river to move into new cracks that opened then, setting off more quakes.

--

Did you feel it? You can report your experience with the USGS HERE. At 9:30 a.m. Sunday, there were already over 400 responses.