Minor Quakes Rattle Parts of East Tennessee, Virginia

Multiple, minor earthquakes have been reported in western North Carolina in recent months but now they’re being felt in Tennessee and Virginia, the U.S. Geological Survey has reported.

A 2.2-magnitude quake happened Friday evening near Sevierville, in eastern Tennessee, not far from Knoxville. Another, 2.6-level temblor came about 9 a.m. in Hillsville, Virginia, according to WLOS TV news and a weather news site.

After several quakes shook part of North Carolina near Canton this year, the state’s insurance commissioner urged property owners to add earthquake endorsements to their policies.

The Appalachian Mountains are not on an active tectonic plate boundary, but scientists have said ancient geologic fault lines continue to see stresses released from time to time.