WEST CANTON, N.C. — A minor earthquake was registered in the western mountainous region of North Carolina early Sunday morning.
The 3.2 magnitude earthquake shook the community of West Canton, North Carolina just west of Asheville around 6:09 a.m., according to the United States Geological Survey.
The USGS estimates the earthquake had a depth of 2.9 kilometers.
No word if anyone was injured or if there is any damage from the earthquake at this time.
Did you feel the earthquake? Share your experience with the USGS here.
Sunday's earthquake follows three earthquakes that occurred during the month of May.
A 2.6 magnitude earthquake occurred in Haywood County just west of Asheville on May 23, according to the USGS. On May 12, a 2.1 magnitude earthquake was reported in Pineville, and on May 14, a 1.9 magnitude earthquake was reported in Cherokee County close to the NC-Tennessee state line.
While the cause of this quake is not officially known, earthquakes can occur by the moving of plates within the Earth.
“Eventually, you get to the point when material rock can’t take it anymore. And as a result, fails," South Carolina Geologist Scott Howard previously told Meteorologist KJ Jacobs for a WCNC Charlotte Weather IQ.
Other quakes are caused by humans. They're known as induced quakes and could be the result of tunnel construction and fracking projects.