The 2020 Sparta earthquake was a relatively uncommon

intraplate earthquake The term intraplate earthquake refers to a variety of earthquake that occurs ''within the interior'' of a tectonic plate; this stands in contrast to an interplate earthquake, which occurs ''at the boundary'' of a tectonic plate. Intraplate earth ...

that occurred near the small town of

Sparta, North Carolina Sparta is a town in Alleghany County, North Carolina, United States. At the last 2010 census, the population was 1,770 people. It is the county seat of Alleghany County. History James H. Parks, an early businessman whose store stood near the pres ...

, on August 9, 2020 at 8:07 am local time. The earthquake had a moment magnitude of 5.1, and a shallow depth of . Shaking was reported throughout the Southern,

Midwestern The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

, and Northeastern United States. It was the strongest earthquake recorded in North Carolina in 104 years, the second-strongest in the state's history, and the largest to strike the East Coast since the

2011 Virginia earthquake On August 23, 2011, a magnitude 5.8 earthquake hit the Piedmont region of the U.S. state of Virginia at 1:51:04 p.m. EDT. The epicenter, in Louisa County, was northwest of Richmond and south-southwest of the town of Mineral. It was a ...

Geology

The earthquake occurred near the

Piedmont region it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

and

Blue Ridge Mountains The Blue Ridge Mountains are a Physiographic regions of the world, physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States, and extends 550 miles southwest from southern Pennsy ...

, part of the eastern

Appalachian Mountain range The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...

which formed due to an ancient

continental collision In geology, continental collision is a phenomenon of plate tectonics that occurs at convergent boundaries. Continental collision is a variation on the fundamental process of subduction, whereby the subduction zone is destroyed, mountains pr ...

with the

African Plate The African Plate is a major tectonic plate that includes much of the continent of Africa (except for its easternmost part) and the adjacent oceanic crust to the west and south. It is bounded by the North American Plate and South American Plate ...

roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician period. Many

thrust fault A thrust fault is a break in the Earth's crust, across which older rocks are pushed above younger rocks. Thrust geometry and nomenclature Reverse faults A thrust fault is a type of reverse fault that has a dip of 45 degrees or less. If ...

s were formed during this time as the mountain grew in size. When

Pangea Pangaea or Pangea () was a supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras. It assembled from the earlier continental units of Gondwana, Euramerica and Siberia during the Carboniferous approximately 335 million ...

broke up A relationship breakup, breakup, or break-up is the termination of a relationship. The act is commonly termed "dumping omeone in slang when it is initiated by one partner. The term is less likely to be applied to a married couple, where a break ...

, the uplift of the Appalachians ultimately ceased, leading to increased erosion rates due to the steep terrain. Ever since, the mountains have been gradually diminishing in size to their current state today. The mountains also played a role in where the quake was felt, with "DYFI" reports sharply decreasing west of the Appalachians. Erosion carries sediments out of the mountains and down towards the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Afr ...

(on the east side) and the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United S ...

(on the west). This movement of sediment can alleviate the pressure of overlying rocks and cause ancient faults (once active during the mountain building processes) to reactivate and create earthquakes. It is believed this is a factor in the 2020 Sparta earthquake as well as others in the region such as the

. The area of the earthquake is located marginally within the

Eastern Tennessee Seismic Zone The Eastern Tennessee Seismic Zone (ETSZ), also known as the East Tennessee Seismic Zone and the Southern Appalachian Seismic Zone, is a geographic band stretching from northeastern Alabama to southwestern Virginia that is subject to frequent small ...

. The ETSZ is responsible for a number of moderate-sized earthquakes in the past, with the last notable earthquake occurring in eastern Tennessee in 2018.

Earthquake

The

focal mechanism The focal mechanism of an earthquake describes the deformation in the source region that generates the seismic waves. In the case of a fault-related event it refers to the orientation of the fault plane that slipped and the slip vector and ...

for the earthquake suggest oblique-reverse faulting on either a northwest, or south-striking fault. It produced "Very strong" shaking, and over 100,000 reported feeling it.

Foreshocks

There were 8 foreshocks ranging from to 2.6, the earliest of which was a that occurred on August 8, one day prior to the 5.1 mainshock.

Aftershocks

The strongest aftershock of the sequence was a that struck 2 days after the mainshock. In total, there were 20 recorded aftershocks as of August 27, 2020.

Impacts

Damage

Widespread damage occurred in Sparta, which had already been debilitated by the

COVID-19 pandemic in North Carolina The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the U.S. state of North Carolina on March 3, 2020. As of May 2021, North Carolina has the 10th highest number of confirmed cases in the United States. , 69% of the adult population in North C ...

. Damages include collapsed ceilings,

chimney A chimney is an architectural ventilation structure made of masonry, clay or metal that isolates hot toxic exhaust gases or smoke produced by a boiler, stove, furnace, incinerator, or fireplace from human living areas. Chimneys are t ...

s, and

masonry Masonry is the building of structures from individual units, which are often laid in and bound together by mortar; the term ''masonry'' can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are bricks, building ...

; damaged water mains; cracked and deformed roads; uprooted

headstone A headstone, tombstone, or gravestone is a stele or marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. It is traditional for burials in the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim religions, among others. In most cases, it has the deceased's name, ...

s; and displaced appliances and items. Wes Brinegar, the town's mayor, issued a

state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...

to apply for

FEMA The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Exec ...

and state financial aid. Damage was worse than initially thought, with at least 525 structures being damaged, and 60 with major damage, meaning at least 40% of the structure was a total loss. 19 people lost their homes, 25 were declared uninhabitable, and scammers took advantage of the damage, charging people up to $500 USD for repairs, but never showing up. Governor of North Carolina,

Roy Cooper Roy Asberry Cooper III (born June 13, 1957) is an American attorney and politician, serving as the 75th governor of North Carolina since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 49th attorney general of North Carolina from 20 ...

, toured the damage in Sparta, releasing a statement later, stating "We’ve dealt with a hurricane, a violent tornado, and now an earthquake all in the middle of a pandemic: North Carolinians are resilient."

Injuries

There were no fatalities. A seven-year-old boy in Sparta who was cut by a falling picture frame was the only reported injury.Perez, 7, has the only reported injury in Sparta. He was in bed, felt the quake and ran when a picture frame fell on him. The glass cut his knee but he was excited to show us his bandaid
/ref>

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sparta earthquake, 2020 2020 earthquakes 2020 in North Carolina 2020 natural disasters in the United States Alleghany County, North Carolina August 2020 events in the United States Earthquakes in North Carolina Geology of North Carolina