Tiny South Carolina community registers another earthquake; as many as five this week
Another minor earthquake has been recorded near a small South Carolina community north of Columbia, raising questions about why the quakes have occurred.
The tremor, reported about 6:30 p.m. Thursday, registered 2.1 in magnitude. It was about five miles from Jenkinsville in Fairfield County.
It was the third one identified by geologists Thursday and at least the fifth this week in the Jenkinsville area, home to Lake Monticello and the VC Summer nuclear power plant.
No damage was reported from the quake, but the state S.C. Emergency Management Division is trying to learn more about the cause, a spokesman said. So far, answers have been elusive.
“What we are being told is this is normal,’’ said Derrec Becker, a spokesman for the emergency division. He noted that “seismologists are looking into it further. Any number of reasons could cause earthquakes like this.’’
Becker said “there’s always a reason to be prepared for earthquakes in South Carolina,’’ noting that major earthquakes have been recorded in the past, including a devastating quake in the Charleston area in the late 1800s.
“Low magnitude quakes like this, I would be surprised if somebody could feel it,’’ Becker said.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, South Carolina has registered at least five earthquakes in the Jenkinsville area since Monday, all below 2.5, a relatively low magnitude.
Scientists and state officials said Friday it is not possible to say if the small tremors foreshadow a larger quake, but small quakes that occur in clusters are not necessarily unusual.
“You see these throughout the eastern U.S.,’’ said Tom Pratt, a research geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Virginia.
Earthquakes can occur naturally or be triggered by human activity, such as drilling or other things that change pressure beneath the ground, experts say.
Earthquakes increased in the Jenkinsville area after Lake Monticello was built decades ago, but those have diminished since the construction, geologists told The State.
Earthquakes of a magnitude less than 2.5 are typically not noticeable to the average person, but are picked up by a specialized piece of equipment called a seismograph, Michigan Technological University reports.
Major earthquakes around the world have often been at magnitudes of 8 or higher, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
No damage has previously been reported at the V.C. Summer nuclear plant, Dominion Energy, the plant’s owner, said. The plant also is currently offline for refueling.
“There has been no impact to the V. C. Summer Nuclear site on any of the reported earthquakes,’’ spokesman Darryl Huger said. Huger said the company doubts operations at Lake Monticello contributed to the quakes.
This story was originally published October 29, 2021 at 9:22 AM.
