Earthquake shakes South Carolina overnight near state line, USGS says
An earthquake hit in South Carolina Monday night, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported.
At about 7 p.m., the 2.3 magnitude earthquake was recorded in Lesslie, according to the USGS.
That’s about five miles outside of Rock Hill, and roughly 60 miles north of Columbia. It’s also about 30 miles south of Charlotte and the North Carolina state line.
The quake was near the surface of the ground. It was recorded at a depth of .87 kilometers (about half a mile), the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reported.
No injuries or damage was reported as a result of the earthquake. It caused light shaking, according to the USGS.
Most people likely did not feel the earthquake, as the ones that register 2.5 magnitude or less often go unnoticed and are only recorded by a seismograph, according to Michigan Technological University. Any quake less than 5.5 magnitude is not likely to cause significant damage, the school said.
Anyone who did feel the quake can report it to the USGS.
This is the fourth earthquake reported in South Carolina in 2020, and the sixth since November 2019. Most of them were reported in Columbia-area.
It is typical for South Carolina to have between six and 10 earthquakes a year, the S.C. Geological Survey reported.
Most recently, a 2.3 magnitude earthquake was reported near Charleston on March 15, and had a depth of 4.59 kilometers, according to DNR.
Prior to that on Jan. 15, a 2.3 magnitude earthquake was recorded near Kershaw at a depth of 8.7 kilometers, according to the USGS.
On Jan. 3, a 1.8 magnitude earthquake happened in the morning hours and had a depth of 3.3 kilometers, according to the USGS.
A 2.5 magnitude earthquake occurred just after noon on Dec. 14 at a depth of 1.72 kilometers, the agency said.
A 2.0 magnitude earthquake was reported on Nov. 7 by the USGS. It occurred at 3:45 a.m. and had a depth of 0.8 kilometers.
This was the shallowest quake reported prior to Monday’s earthquake. The closer to the surface an earthquake is, means the greater likelihood of damage.
This story was originally published April 7, 2020 at 1:12 PM.
