According to USGS, the South Carolina coast was rattled by a weak earthquake overnight, the latest in a string of weak earthquakes that have rattled states across the eastern United States in recent days. Today’s earthquake struck about 100 miles away from where the historic Charleston earthquake struck in 1886.
The weak magnitude 1.9 earthquake struck near the town of Bucksport which is between Charleston, South Carolina and Wilmington, North Carolina. It struck from a depth of 4.8 km at 12:32 am this morning.
This earthquake joins a string of other earthquakes in recent days across the eastern United States that serve as a reminder that earthquakes aren’t exclusive to the U.S. West Coast. Earthquakes struck Indiana, Massachussetts, Maine, Arkansas, Tennessee, and New Jersey in recent days. USGS expects more earthquakes in the eastern U.S. in the days ahead.
USGS says that earthquakes with a magnitude of 2.0 or less are rarely felt or heard by people, but once they exceed 2.0 , more and more people can feel them. While damage is possible with magnitude 3.0 events or greater, significant damage and casualties usually don’t occur until the magnitude of a seismic event rises to a 5.5 or greater rated event.
According to the South Carolina Emergency Management Division (SCEMD), there are approximately 10-15 earthquakes every year in South Carolina, with most not felt by residents; on average, only 3-5 are felt each year. Most of South Carolina’s 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 quake and the 1913 Union County quake. The 1886 earthquake in Charleston was the most damaging earthquake to ever occur in the eastern United States; it was also the most destructive earthquake in the U.S. during the 19th century.
The 1886 earthquake struck at about 9:50 pm on August 31; it was estimated to have been rated a magnitude 6.9 – 7.3 seismic event. The earthquake was felt as far away as Boston, Massachusetts to the north, Chicago, Illinois and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to the northwest, and New Orleans, Louisiana to the south. The earthquake energy even traveled as far away as Cuba and Bermuda, where some shaking was felt too. The initial earthquake lasted about 45 seconds.
The 1886 Charleston earthquake was responsible for 60 deaths and over $190 million (in 2023 dollars) in damage. The area of major damage extended out 60-100 miles from the epicenter, with some structural damage even reported in central Alabama, Ohio, eastern Kentucky, southern Virginia, and western West Virginia from the initial quake.
A study published in 2008 in the Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering hypothesized that if such an earthquake were to strike the region today, it would lead to approximately 900 deaths, 44,000 injuries, and damages in excess of $20 billion in South Carolina alone.
There have been no other earthquakes around today’s epicenter over the last 30 days. According to USGS, the last earthquake to strike South Carolina hit on July 16 south of today’s earthquake in the town of Summerville. No other earthquakes have struck South Carolina in the last 30 days.
