CAYCE, S.C. — A small earthquake hit Cayce on Saturday, South Carolina emergency officials are confirming.
According to the South Carolina Emergency Management Division (SCEMD), the United States Geological Survey (USGS) says that a 2.5 magnitude earthquake occurred near Cayce, SC, just after 12 p.m. on December 14.
According to the USGS, the quake happened at a depth of 1.05 miles and at coordinates of 33.959°N 81.056°W. That's in an area just off the 12th Street Extension.
Jeanee Burke lives nearby and told Street Squad, "I was sleeping and I experienced a big loud noise and I thought it felt like maybe a small earthquake or something but then my partner reminded me that the recycling plant always makes a big loud boom like that."
It's the second quake recorded in Cayce in the last six weeks. A 2.0 earthquake struck there back on November 7, less than a mile from where this latest one took place.
At that intensity, it's unlikely many people felt it. That's generally below the threshold that people can feel, with is about magnitude 2.5.
Earthquakes happen throughout the state but most occur near the coast.. Approximately 70 percent of earthquakes are in the coastal plain, with most happening in the Lowcountry.
Back in 1886, Charleston was hit by a catastrophic earthquake. It had an estimated magnitude of 7.3, and was felt as far away and Cuba and New York. At least 60 people were killed, and thousands of building were damaged.
Structural damage extended hundreds of miles to cities in Alabama, Ohio, and Kentucky.
Geologists say that Charleston lies in one of the most seismically active areas in the eastern United States.