Residents near Cherokee County, North Carolina's Hothouse community off of U.S. Highway 64 experienced a magnitude 2.1 earthquake early Tuesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The temblor struck about 3:15 a.m. just less than two miles deep in a remote area on the southern fringe of Nantahala National Forest about halfway between Ducktown, Tennessee, and Murphy, North Carolina, according to USGS initial data on the quake.
Earthquakes of magnitude 2 to 3 are usually felt only by a few persons at rest, especially on upper floors of buildings, according to the USGS.