SPARTA, N.C. (FOX 46 CHARLOTTE)- Another earthquake has hit the Sparta area, according to the USGS.
The organization says a 2.1-magnitude earthquake struck Wednesday afternoon about 11 kilometers ESE of the town. Right now, there are no reports of damage.
The area has been hit by several earthquakes over the last few months. The most recent was a 2.0 magnitude, about five kilometers SSE of Sparta.
Why is Sparta shaking so much?
North Carolina does not have fault lines like California. Instead, we have an older earth crust, think of it like a broken bone that is weak and keeps fracturing.
“Millions of years ago we did have active earthquake faults in North Carolina, but the tectonic situation changed. So what is happening now, these earthquakes like the very recent small Sparta earthquakes, and even the larger one from last year…those are occurring on old fractures almost randomly,” explains UNC Charlotte Geologist, Dr. Andy Bobbyarchick.
These small quakes often happen near mountains because mountains formed from massive earthquakes millions of years ago.
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