(CO) – If the earth trembles and no one feels it, is it an earthquake? Just ask the U.S. Geological Survey. Geologists recorded two earthquakes in the Charlotte region within 80 miles of each other over the weekend — a 2.1-magnitude quake that struck the foothills west of Winston-Salem and a 1.8-magnitude quake just outside Indian Trail. Both were relatively shallow as measured by the USGS and no damages were reported. In fact, most people appeared not to notice.
The first occurred at a depth of 13.8 kilometers — roughly 8.6 miles below the earth’s surface — just nine miles southeast of Blowing Rock. It happened shortly after midnight Sunday around 12:55 a.m. Less than four hours later at roughly 4:30 a.m., the USGS recorded a second earthquake. It was slightly smaller and even closer to the earth’s surface with a depth of only 5.5 kilometers, or 3.4 miles, according to geologists. READ MORE
