AN EARTHQUAKE was felt in North Carolina on Sunday morning — the largest quake to hit the area in more than 100 years.
The US Geological Survey reported a 5.1-magnitude quake struck the state, located on the East Coast, at 8.07 local time.
The earthquake's epicenter was roughly 2.5 miles from Sparta, near the state's northern border with Virginia and western border with Tennessee.
No damage was immediately reported.
According to the USGS, the last 5.1-magnitude tremor to hit the state was in 1916 — 104 years ago.
"Since at least 1776, people living inland in North and South Carolina, and in adjacent parts of Georgia and Tennessee, have felt small earthquakes and suffered damage from infrequent larger ones."
Experts say that "moderately damaging earthquakes" hit inland Carolinas every few decades, while smaller quakes come every one to two years.
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Earthquakes that hit in the central and eastern areas of the US "are typically felt over a much broader region," the USGS's website states.
On Sunday, people in cities across North Carolina, including Charlotte and Raleigh — and states including South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee — reported feeling the earthquake.
"East of the Rockies, an earthquake can be felt over an area as much as ten times larger than a similar magnitude earthquake on the West Coast."