Another small earthquake strikes western NC town

CANTON, N.C. — Another small earthquake rattled western North Carolina. The 2.6 magnitude quake struck Tuesday morning just after midnight.

It happened in Canton, which is in Haywood County near Asheville. That’s the same area where there have been six other quakes in the last two weeks. Two happened on Sunday, one of which registered as a 3.2 magnitude. Fortunately, no major damage was reported.

Canton’s mayor wants the U.S. Geological Survey to take a look at what’s going on.

“I’m not alarmed. I’m losing sleep over a lot of issues for the Town of Canton right now — earthquakes is not one of them,” Mayor Zeb Smathers said. “However, this is not just a joking matter anymore. We’re going to figure out exactly what to expect and go from there.”

In South Carolina, many are still left with questions after a series of quakes over a 6-month period struck the midlands. More than 60 earthquakes were recorded between December 2021 and July 2022 in an area near the towns of Lugoff and Elgin, about 20 miles northeast of Columbia.

Geologists suggest that an initial December 2021 quake may have allowed water from the Wateree River to seep into new cracks opened by the quake, setting off additional temblors.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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