Earthquakes in North Carolina

North Carolina lies in a low-to-moderate seismic zone. Earthquakes are infrequent and usually small (magnitude 2.0–4.0), concentrated in the western mountains near the Tennessee border. Notable exceptions:

• 1916 Spruce Pine quake: M5.2
• 2020 Sparta quake: M5.1

Risk is low compared to West Coast, but not zero. Building codes in western counties account for seismic hazard.