Rumbling felt and heard across the Columbia area from powerful earthquake

Tremors were heard and felt Thursday afternoon in the Columbia area of South Carolina, as another earthquake was recorded.

A 3.0 magnitude earthquake was confirmed near Lexington at 12:17 p.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The USGS originally reported the earthquake was a 2.48 magnitude seismic event.

It was the most powerful earthquake in South Carolina this year — topping a 2.9 magnitude quake rocked the Lowcountry on Feb. 7. The previous strongest to hit the Lake Murray area, that was a 2.8 magnitude seismic event happened Feb. 13 by Irmo, according to the state’s Department of Natural Resources Geological Survey.

The impact of Thursday’s quake was magnified because it was recorded about a tenth of a mile beneath the ground, South Carolina DNR data shows. That’s the closest to the surface any of any earthquake recorded in 2026.

Recent earthquakes

The recent seismic activity means that 12 earthquakes have been confirmed in South Carolina this year. Ten of them have been recorded in little more than a three-week span in February. The past four have all been in the Columbia area.

Prior to this series of tremors near Columbia, there were six consecutive earthquakes recorded in the Lowcountry between Feb. 3 and 12, South Carolina DNR data shows.

There were 35 confirmed earthquakes in South Carolina in 2025.

In 2024, there were 30 earthquakes in the Palmetto State, after 28 quakes were recorded in 2023, South Carolina DNR records show.

History of earthquakes in SC

It had been uncommon for earthquakes to hit outside the Midlands area of the Palmetto State, specifically beyond Kershaw County, where 74 earthquakes have been confirmed since the end of June 2022, according to the South Carolina DNR.

That’s also where South Carolina’s most powerful recent earthquakes were recorded on June 29, 2022.

On that day, two earthquakes — one a 3.5 magnitude and the other 3.6 — were included in a flurry of tremors and aftershocks. Those were the two largest quakes to hit South Carolina in nearly a decade. A 4.1-magnitude quake struck McCormick County in 2014.

Anyone who felt tremors and shaking or heard rumbling from Thursday’s earthquake can report it to the USGS. As of 12:45 p.m., more than 250 people confirmed feeling the earthquake.

Count members of the South Carolina Emergency Management Division and National Weather Service office in Columbia among those who experienced the earthquake. They posted about it on social media.

“We felt and heard it here at our office,” National Weather Service officials said from their headquarters at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport.

“We felt the earth move under our feet,” the Emergency Management Division said.

Ernest Bolton was even more direct with his social media post, saying “EARTHQUAKE IN HARBISON !!! My whole dam house shook !!!”

More areas where people have reported feeling the earthquake include Five Points, Shandon, Seven Oaks, the Vista, Oak Grove and near Riverbanks Zoo & Garden.

The most recent earthquakes mean at least 179 have been detected in the Palmetto State since the start of 2022, according to South Carolina DNR. All but 59 of the quakes have been in the Midlands.

In all, 125 earthquakes have hit the Columbia area since a 3.3-magnitude quake was recorded Dec. 27, 2021, according to the DNR.

The S.C. Emergency Management Division said the majority of the recent earthquakes were classified as a micro quakes, according to the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale.

No major damage or injuries have been reported from the recent seismic activity or any of the other recent quakes.

Earthquakes that register 2.5 magnitude or less often go unnoticed and are usually recorded only 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 had been typical for South Carolina to have between six and 10 earthquakes a year, the S.C. Geological Survey previously reported. There have been 193 earthquakes in South Carolina since Jan. 18, 2021, according to DNR. During a 2022 town hall to address the earthquakes, state geologist Scott Howard said as many as 200 smaller tremors might have gone unnoticed and unrecorded.

Reported earthquakes in SC 2025-26

This story was originally published February 26, 2026 at 12:49 PM.

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