Current Understanding of Intraplate Seismicity and Surface Deformation Associated with the August 9th, 2020 Mw 5.1 Earthquake Near Sparta, North Carolina

Wednesday, 28 October 2020
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Auditorium

STRUCTURAL BEHAVIOR OBSERVATIONS FOLLOWING THE M5.1 2020 SPARTA EARTHQUAKE

Program: Late Breaking Session
Time: 3:25 PM – 3:45 PM

Authors

Abstract

The state of North Carolina is not known for its seismic activity; however, on August 9, 2020 at 8:07AM, near the town of Sparta, the largest earthquake to strike North Carolina in at least 100 years was recorded. The 5.1 magnitude earthquake (MMI 6) was preceded by several small foreshocks felt by local residents and followed by ~100 aftershocks. This presentation will discuss the impact of this seismic event on the town of Sparta including an overview of ground shaking characterization and structural damage assessment. While structural damage was relatively minor, there was substantial damage to some unreinforced masonry. Calculations based on rocking response suggest peak ground accelerations of at least 0.2g likely occurred, which is compatible with USGS estimates. In addition, prior has shown that correlation between direction of movement of unanchored structures and direction of rupture may be possible. Examples illustrating this will be shown.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 52, No. 6

doi: 10.1130/abs/2020AM-361226

© Copyright 2020 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.