Earthquake detected near popular NC mountain tourist communities, USGS says
A small earthquake was detected miles from two North Carolina tourist communities in the Blue Ridge Mountains on Friday, federal seismologists reported.
The 2.1 magnitude earthquake registered at 4:11 p.m. about 2.5 miles southeast of Weaverville and 9 miles south of Asheville, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The quake was 2 miles deep, seismologists said.
Known for its downtown art galleries and studios, Weaverville is a town of 4,770 residents 134 miles northwest of Charlotte. Asheville is a city of about 94,000 residents
A 2.1 magnitude quake is considered weak, and is rarely if ever felt, seismologists said.
No one reported feeling the quake, according to the USGS, which also received no reports of damage.
A 2.1 magnitude earthquake also registered at 5:52 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, about four miles northwest of Weaverville, seismologists said.
Other NC mountain earthquakes
The quakes were just the latest to rumble in the mountains this year.
On Saturday, Sept. 20, the town of Rosman experienced its 11th small earthquake of the year, according to the USGS. Weaverville is 50 miles northeast of Rosman.
Three days earlier, a 2.2 magnitude earthquake registered nearly 5.6 miles west of Rosman, according to the USGS, as did a 2.1 magnitude quake about 2.5 miles southwest of the town on Sept. 10.
About 100 miles northeast of Rosman, a 1.8 magnitude quake registered about five miles west of Bakersville early Sept. 11, The Charlotte Observer previously reported, citing the USGS.
Strongest quake of the year felt in Charlotte
Rosman also saw three quakes over four days in August, McClatchy News previously reported.
Earthquakes under 3.0 are considered weak.
On May 10, a 4.1 magnitude earthquake near the Tennessee-North Carolina border was felt as far east as Charlotte, the USGS reported.
That quake struck at 9:04 a.m. and was centered about 12 miles southeast of Greenback, Tennessee, near North Carolina’s Nantahala National Forest.
This story was originally published December 6, 2025 at 3:01 PM with the headline "Earthquake detected near popular NC mountain tourist communities, USGS says."