Shaking was reported to the USGS by residents in western South Carolina that felt an earthquake strike the area last night. According to USGS, a relatively weak 2.2 magnitude earthquake struck near Coronaca, South Carolina from a depth of 3 km at 11:01 pm.  The epicenter was located roughly half way between Atlanta, Georgia and Columbia, South Carolina. There were no reports or injuries.

This overnight earthquake occurred in an area where that has been no seismic activity over the last 30 days. This earthquake also seems unrelated to the earthquake swarm that’s impacted an area north of Columbia since 2021.

According to the South Carolina Emergency Management Division (SCEMD), approximately 10 to 15 earthquakes are recorded annually in South Carolina with 3 to 5 of them felt or noticed by people. About 70 percent of South Carolina earthquakes are located in the Middleton Place-Summerville Seismic Zone. The two most significant historical earthquakes to occur in South Carolina were the 1886 Charleston/Summerville earthquake and the 1913 Union County earthquake. The 1886 earthquake in Charleston was the most damaging earthquake to ever occur in the eastern United States. In terms of lives lost, human suffering and devastation, this was the most destructive United States earthquake in the 19th century.

SCEMD says, “Earthquakes in South Carolina have the potential to cause great and sudden loss because devastation can occur in minutes. While there have not been any large-scale earthquakes in South Carolina in recent years, a 2001 study (Comprehensive Seismic Risk and Vulnerability Study for the State of South Carolina) confirmed the state is extremely vulnerable to earthquake activity.” That study probed the potential impacts of earthquakes on the current population and on contemporary structures and systems, including roadways, bridges, homes, commercial and government buildings, schools, hospitals and water and sewer facilities.