Why does North Carolina experience earthquakes?

North Carolina Regional Historic Earthquake Events: 1861 - present

Phenomenon Description:  North Carolina often experiences minor earthquakes, but the state is not located near a tectonic plate boundary. 
Location:  North Carolina 
Grade Level or Course: Earth and Environmental Science

 



Question:  Why does NC experience earthquakes? 
Crosscutting Concepts: Cause and Effect: Mechanism & Explanation 
Science Domain:  Earth and Space Science 

NC Standards: ESS.EES.2 Analyze how the geosphere is shaped by plate tectonics and the rock cycle.
ESS.6.2 Understand the lithosphere and how interactions of constructive and destructive forces.
NC Objectives: ESS.EES.2.2 Analyze and interpret data to predict locations of volcanoes and earthquakes based on plate boundaries.
ESS.6.2.2 Construct an explanation to illustrate how the movement of lithospheric plates can create geologic landforms and cause major geologic events such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Additional Resources:
Map of Earthquake Occurrence in North Carolina from 1861 to present (*Map was acquired on October 2, 2025. For a current map, go to NCDEQ: Earthquakes in North Carolina | NC DEQ

Earthquakes in North Carolina, NC Department of Environmental Quality 
https://www.deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/energy-mineral-and-land-resources/north-carolina-geological-survey/geologic-hazards/earthquakes-north-carolina
There’s a 1.5 Mile Crack in the Ground in North Carolina, PBS, Frank Graff, June 23, 2022 
https://www.pbsnc.org/blogs/science/theres-a-15-mile-crack-in-the-ground-in-north-carolina/
Why we have earthquakes in North Carolina
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq_kAt9_c7A
 

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