Shaking continues in Columbia area as 2 more earthquakes are confirmed Tuesday

Earthquakes continue to shake the Columbia area, as two more were reported Tuesday morning. Now five have hit the Midlands since the start of 2022.

A 1.7 magnitude earthquake, or aftershock, was confirmed near Elgin at 12:31 a.m., according to the South Carolina Emergency Management Division.

Exactly eight hours later, a 2.0 earthquake hit near Lugoff at 8:31 a.m., the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

Tuesday’s first earthquake was recorded at a depth of 5.4 kilometers, or about 3.3 miles, according to the USGS. The second set of tremors from the seismic activity was 3.2 kilometers, or about 2 miles, deep, the USGS said.

In all, 12 earthquakes have hit the Columbia area since Dec. 27, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

Anyone who felt the earthquakes can report it to the USGS.

No major damage or injuries have been reported from any of the dozen recent quakes.

Earthquakes that register 2.5 magnitude or less often go unnoticed and are usually 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.

It is typical for South Carolina to have between six and 10 earthquakes a year, the S.C. Geological Survey previously reported. There have been 36 earthquakes in South Carolina since Jan. 18, 2021, according to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources.

There were at least 11 earthquakes recorded by the USGS in South Carolina in 2020.

Following Tuesday’s activity, 26 earthquakes have been recorded since Sept. 27, 2020 in the Palmetto State, according to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources.

Of the earthquakes confirmed in South Carolina since the start of 2021, 23 occurred in the Midlands, S.C. Department of Natural Resources data shows.

On Sunday, a 1.4 magnitude earthquake happened close to Ladson and in the area near Dorchester, Charleston and Berkeley counties, according to the USGS. The first earthquake of the new year reported in the Lowcountry is the 12th confirmed in the Charleston area since Feb. 13, 2021, according to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources.

One of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded in South Carolina happened in Charleston on Aug. 31, 1886. The estimated 7.3 magnitude quake killed 60 people and was felt over 2.5 million square miles, from Cuba to New York, and Bermuda to the Mississippi River, according to the Emergency Management Division.

Reported earthquakes in SC in 2021-22

This story was originally published January 11, 2022 at 10:04 AM.

Noah Feit

The State

803-771-8435

Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription