Asheville, North Carolina – A late-night earthquake rattled parts of western North Carolina near the Georgia and South Carolina borders, with residents reporting light shaking just after midnight.
According to seismic data from the University of Memphis Center for Earthquake Research and Information, a magnitude 2.7 earthquake struck shortly after 12 a.m. Tuesday near the southern border region of North Carolina. The quake occurred at a very shallow depth of about 0.1 kilometers, allowing the shaking to be felt across a broader area despite its lower magnitude.
Communities across the southern mountains, including areas near Franklin, Highlands, and toward the Upstate South Carolina region, reported brief shaking. Some reports extended north toward Asheville and west toward far eastern Tennessee.
No damage or injuries have been reported, which is typical for earthquakes of this size. However, shallow quakes can produce sharper, more noticeable shaking, especially in mountainous terrain.
Seismologists note that small earthquakes do occur in this broader region, though they are less frequent than in the eastern Tennessee seismic zone.
No aftershocks have been confirmed, but monitoring will continue through early Tuesday in case additional activity develops.
