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5.1-magnitude earthquake rattles Virginia, North Carolina

Posted at 10:30 AM, Aug 09, 2020
and last updated 2020-08-09 12:19:10-04

RICHMOND, Va. -- A 5.1-magnitude earthquake rattled parts of Virginia and North Carolina Sunday morning.

There have been no immediate reports of damage, nor injuries.

The earthquake was recorded at 8:07 a.m. and was centered near the state line in Sparta, North Carolina, about 300 miles southwest of Richmond.

Sunday's earthquake is one of the biggest to impact Virginia since the 5.8-magnitude earthquake centered in Mineral, Virginia, on August 23, 2011. And the largest earthquake in North Carolina since a 5.2-earthquake in 1916.

"According to the U.S. Geological Survey database, the 5.1-magnitude earthquake near Sparta this morning is the second strongest earthquake to occur in North Carolina since 1900," the National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg Office wrote on Twitter. "The strongest was a 5.2-magnitude earthquake near Skyland, North Carolina, in February 1916."

The 5.1-magnitude earthquake was preceded by multiple, smaller "foreshocks" on Saturday.

Multiple aftershocks are expected over the next few weeks.

The USGS forecasted a 4 percent chance of one or more aftershocks that are larger than magnitude 5.1.

This story originally reported by Mike Stone on wtvr.com.