Booms were reported around Columbia and one of them was an earthquake

Multiple people across the Midlands reported hearing loud booms Sunday afternoon, and one of those rumblings was confirmed to be an earthquake.

A 2.2 magnitude earthquake was recorded in Columbia, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The seismic activity hit at 1:55 p.m. in Richland County, near Lake Murray, the South Carolina Emergency Management Division said.

The tremors were recorded about 2.5 miles beneath the surface of the ground, USGS data shows.

Multiple people posted on social media about hearing booms in the Columbia area that sounded like explosions. It’s because that’s exactly what some of those noises and tremors were.

In addition to the earthquake, explosives were detonated at Fort Jackson on Sunday. The U.S. Army said that officials at Fort Jackson “conducted three controlled detonations on a training range as part of necessary maintenance.”

Further booms were possibly caused by additional demolition training that was conducted by one of Fort Jackson’s tenants, the Army said on social media.

Even more booms are possible in the coming days. WIS reporter Judi Gatson was the first to report that the South Carolina National Guard is conducting explosive detonations at McCrady Training Center for the next three days.

“Our neighbors may hear loud noises,” the S.C. National Guard said on social media.

Recent earthquakes

The recent seismic activity means that 13 earthquakes have been confirmed in South Carolina this year, according to the state’s Department of Natural Resources Geological Survey. The past five have all been in the Columbia area, near Lake Murray.

Prior to Sunday’s earthquake, the last one recorded was the most powerful of the year, a 3.0 magnitude quake in Lexington on Feb. 26, according to the USGS. The impact of last 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, and more than 3,400 people have reported experiencing its effects.

Prior to this series of tremors in the Columbia area, 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 Sunday’s earthquake can report it to the USGS.

The most recent earthquake means at least 180 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, 126 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 194 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 March 2, 2026 at 7:26 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