Correlation between seismicity and topographic lineaments in western North Carolina

To discover what is causing earthquakes in western North Carolina, I conducted research to confirm my hypothesis that earthquakes in western North Carolina lie in planes that correlate to topographic lineaments, and thus, to active fault zones. In North Carolina, the only known active fault is the Boone fault, which lies in the northwest corner of the state. A small fault, it is unlikely that the Boone fault could cause all of the earthquakes in the western portion of the state. In order to test my hypothesis, I compiled data from various sources. This included taking strike and dip measurements of outcrop fractures, studying structural and geologic deformation, and using ArcGIS software to analyze the location of earthquake hypocenters found from the USGS database. I found evidence to support my hypothesis, where earthquakes and their subsequent damage lied parallel or closely parallel to the topographic lineaments surrounding them. My findings support the notion that, in addition to the Boone fault, there are more young and active faults in western North Carolina.Bachelor of Art