Minor Tremor Rattles Avery County; Second Quake to Hit Region in Days
By Marge | Published 2026-01-05T15:43:13.267+00:00
News
Newland -- January 5, 2026: Residents of the High Country may have felt a slight bump in the night this weekend. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) confirmed that a magnitude 1.7 earthquake struck Western North Carolina early Saturday morning, marking the second seismic event to hit the Southern Appalachians in less than two weeks.
The tremor occurred at 1:06 a.m. on January 3, centered approximately 4.2 miles west-southwest of Newland. According to seismic data, the quake was relatively shallow, with a depth of just 1.2 miles.Regional Seismic ActivityWhile a 1.7 magnitude quake is often too small to be felt by most people—typically registered only by sensitive local monitoring equipment—it follows closely on the heels of activity in neighboring Tennessee.On December 27, a slightly stronger 1.8 magnitude earthquake was rec