The US Geological Survey says eight earthquakes in four weeks prove an ancient fault near a mountain town in North Carolina

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On June 16, a North Carolina town was hit by its eighth earthquake in just over three weeks, the US Geological Survey said, which means an ancient fault line is now active.

The magnitude 2.1 quake was centered in a sparsely populated area about 2.4 miles northwest of Canton.

This is the same general area where seven previous earthquakes have been recorded since May 23, ranging from 1.8 to 3.2, records show.

Hundreds of witnesses reported feeling some stronger earthquakes, but the latest had only one witness report as of midday Friday. The USGS says this was brought up by someone who felt weak shaking 8 miles away in the town of Clyde.

All of the quakes originated near Mount Chambers north of Interstate 40.

This means there is definitely an ancient fault in the area, the USGS says, but experts are at a loss as to why it is suddenly active.

Nor do they know whether the “block” will continue or if it will suddenly stop.

“Earthquakes happen when rocks move underground,” USGS officials told McClatchy News. “Sometimes, we see other earthquakes when those rocks come back into some kind of equilibrium.”

All eight quakes were shallow and small in magnitude, but that doesn’t mean stronger quakes aren’t possible, says the USGS.

Geologists say the Appalachians aren’t on active tectonic plate boundaries — where earthquakes are common — but the region has sporadic small quakes associated with ancient fault lines.

These faults date back hundreds of millions of years — when the Appalachian Mountains formed — and can sometimes become active when stress builds up in places where rocks are weak, experts say.

West Canton is located about 150 miles northwest of Charlotte.

What do you do in an earthquake

The rapid and sudden shaking of an earthquake can cause fires, tsunamis, landslides or avalanches. It can occur anywhere, but it’s most common in Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Puerto Rico and Washington, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

If an earthquake occurs, it is best to protect yourself immediately.

Here are some tips from the experts:

If you’re in a car: stop and stop. Put the parking brake on, if you’re in bed: turn face down and cover your head with a pillow, if outside: stay away from buildings. Don’t go inside, if you’re inside: stay and don’t run outdoors. Stay away from doorways.

Officials say the best way to protect yourself during an earthquake is to fall, cover and hold on.

Wherever you are, get on your hands and knees and hold on to something sturdy, the officials say.

2023 Charlotte Observer.

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The citation: Eight earthquakes in four weeks prove ancient fault near NC mountain town, says USGS (2023, June 19) Retrieved June 20, 2023 from https://phys.org/news/2023- 06-earthquakes-weeks-fault-nc-mountain.html

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