ROSMAN, North Carolina.According to statistics from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), three mild earthquakes struck the sleepy mountain town of Rosenman, which has a population of about 750, in just four days. The quakes, which had magnitudes ranging from 1.8 to 2.1, occurred on Saturday, August 9, and Tuesday, August 12, 2025. A few residents reported experiencing short tremors over the weekend, but the majority felt nothing.
An Unusual Spike in Seismic Activity
In the last 25 years, Rosman has only registered a dozen or so tiny earthquakes. But eight of events, including a 2.4-magnitude tremor in late March, have happened in 2025 alone. For an area that isn’t usually renowned for having a lot of seismic activity, that increase is remarkable.
Rosman’s distance from tectonic plate borders, according to experts, does not make it earthquake-proof. Massive tectonic collisions hundreds of millions of years ago created the Appalachian Mountains, leaving behind old fault lines. Natural stress in the North American plate over time may lead those ancient faults to give way, resulting in low-level earthquakes.
Why Small Quakes Still Matter
Even though damage from earthquakes smaller than 2.5 is uncommon, they serve as a reminder of the area’s underlying vulnerability. The 2020 Sparta earthquake, which had a magnitude of 5.1 and caused moderate damage in Western North Carolina, demonstrated that larger earthquakes are uncommon but conceivable.
Earthquake Preparedness
If shaking starts, emergency personnel advise taking these easy precautions:
- Indoors: Stay inside, away from windows, and protect your head and neck.
- Outdoors: Move to an open space away from buildings and trees.
- In a vehicle: Pull over to a safe spot and remain inside until the shaking stops.
Additionally, officials advise citizens to check on neighbors following any seismic occurrence and to maintain basic supplies like torches, batteries, and bottled water on hand.
Have you been to Rosman recently for an earthquake? Tell us about your experiences at SaladaStandard-Sentinel.com.
