Most powerful earthquake since 2014 in two-state region felt in SC, geologists report
People in the Lower Savannah region of South Carolina were awoken by an earthquake Saturday, the most potent one this year in a two state area.
The earthquake hit about 4 a.m. and was centered near Stillmore, Georgia, according to the United States Geological Survey. That’s about an hour west of Jasper County’s border with Georgia.
People as far away as Clover in York County reported feeling the earthquake to the USGS. Dozens of people in the Columbia area said they felt a tremor. The majority of residents who felt the quake in South Carolina live in Aiken and Edgefield counties.
The earthquake reached 3.9 magnitude, making it the most powerful quake to hit South Carolina or Georgia since 2014, USGS data shows. That year, a 4.1 magnitude earthquake happened in McCormick County.
People in Georgia and South Carolina reported very light damage and moderate shaking, according to the USGS.
An earthquake of 3.9 magnitude is relatively weak, according to geologists. Noticeable damage usually doesn’t start occurring until a magnitude of 5.0 or more.
A string of minor earthquakes near Lugoff and Elgin have put seismic activity on the minds of Midlands residents. Since late December, 31 earthquakes and aftershocks have shaken up those towns.
The latest quake to hit the near the towns, at 1.9 magnitude, occurred on May 21, most likely an aftershock of a 3.3 magnitude quake a couple weeks before. The first in the string of earthquakes happened on Dec. 27 and also reached 3.3 magnitude.
The increase of earthquakes in the Midlands has perplexed but not worried geologists. One earthquake tends to have aftershocks, though they don’t typically continue for as long as they have in the Midlands, geologists said.
Earthquakes are fairly common in South Carolina, according to the state Emergency Management Division, with 10 to 15 occurring each year. An earthquake that hit Charleston in 1886 was the most damaging to ever hit the eastern United States, and was the most destructive in the entire U.S. in the 19th century.
This story was originally published June 18, 2022 at 10:12 AM.