LADSON, S.C. — South Carolina has experienced yet another earthquake according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). However, the Kershaw County area appears to be getting a bit of a break this time.
The latest earthquake was reported around 1:32 p.m. on Friday in the area of Ladson northwest of the Charleston area. The magnitude 1.1 quake's epicenter appears to be in the Wescott Golf Club near the Ashley River but, so far, there haven't been any reports of missed putts as a result - as no one has reported to the USGS that they felt the rumble so far.
While much of the earthquake attention recently has been on the Camden and Lugoff areas a recent months-long swarm that began in December, the Charleston area is perhaps the most well-known seismic zone in the region. Aside from the occasional small quake like the one on Friday, the area was also the location of the massive magnitude 7.3 earthquake that occurred in 1886.
And, according to the USGS, evidence shows similarly sized earthquakes have happened in the region in intervals of several centuries to several thousand years.
The agency reports that most of the bedrock beneath the Charleston area was conglomerated as continents collided to form a supercontinent between 500 million and 300 million years ago giving rise to the Appalachian mountains. The rest formed when the continent broke apart again about 200 million years ago.
That bedrock is now deeply buried making it difficult to determine which of its faults are still active and which are dormant until an earthquake actually happens.
