5th earthquake in 2 days rattles Midlands, this one a 2.4 magnitude
USGS confirms a fifth minor earthquake centered in the Elgin area this week
ELGIN, S.C. — The US Geological Survey has confirmed a fifth minor earthquake within two days in the Lugoff-Elgin area of South Carolina.
Wednesday morning’s rumbler occurred at 4:12 a.m. and registered 2.4 magnitude. The series of quakes began on Monday with a 3.3 magnitude at 2:18 p.m.. That first earthquake was followed up by three aftershocks that ranged in magnitude from 2.52 to 1.74. The latest one occurred just after 10 p.m. Monday evening.
The South Carolina Emergency Management Division says “swarms” of micro earthquakes are historically fairly common.
The recent quakes should not be strong enough to do much damage. Usually quakes registering a magnitude of 2 are the threshold of what a human might feel. Earthquakes of magnitude 4 would cause items to be thrown off shelves; magnitude 5 or 6 will cause cracks in walls and breaking windows; a quake registering a magnitude of 10 will cause complete destruction.
The largest earthquake event in South Carolina occurred on August 31, 1886, in the Summerville/Charleston area. That earthquake registered a magnitude of 7.3 and killed 60 people. The Charleston Earthquake was felt from Cuba to New York, and Bermuda to the Mississippi River.
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