25th earthquake of the year strikes near a Midlands town; 29th of the year for SC
Another earthquake hit a small town about 20 miles north of Columbia Saturday morning — the 25th of the year to hit the area.
The latest earthquake happened near Elgin at about 6:15 a.m, according to the United States Geological Survey. The earthquake was 1.9 magnitude, which is considered minor and may not be felt. Sometimes a loud boom can be heard or shaking can be felt at that magnitude.
The seismic activity was likely an aftershock of a 3.3 magnitude quake in early May.
“We can expect aftershocks in the days and weeks following the larger earthquake...,” the S.C. Emergency Management Division said earlier in the month. “Aftershock intensity varies, but they tend to be of lesser magnitude than the initial earthquake and decrease in frequency over time.”
South Carolina has had 29 earthquakes in 2022. All but four of those were near Elgin and its neighboring town of Lugoff. The four outside of the Midlands have been in the Lowcountry. Two earthquakes also shook up an area outside of Charlotte, North Carolina, on May 11 and Wednesday.
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.
