KERSHAW COUNTY, S.C. — While more sporadic, earthquakes continue in Kershaw County as the area quickly approaches the one-year anniversary of when the swarm started.
The latest earthquake, with a magnitude of 1.7 according to the U.S. Geological Survey, is the 83rd since rumbles started becoming somewhat commonplace in the Lugoff and Elgin regions in late December 2021.
According to data from the agency, the quake happened around 7:48 p.m. on Friday and was allegedly felt by at least three people who reported the rattle on its earthquake monitoring website. Earthquakes below a magnitude of 2.5 are typically not felt by the public.
The last earthquake to rumble the region was on Nov. 24 and had a magnitude of 2.0. The earthquakes still vary in size but have become less frequent than they were at different points in 2022 when they were an almost daily occurrence.
More seismic equipment has been installed in the area in recent months but an exact reason for the centralized earthquake activity hasn't yet been determined.
While having the earthquakes focused in Kershaw County as a swarm hasn't been the norm historically, earthquakes are not a new occurrence in South Carolina, which has them occasionally across the state. South Carolina was also the location of the largest earthquake in the history of the southeastern U.S. which happened in the Charleston area in 1886 and was estimated to have a magnitude above 7.0.
Historical records suggest the earthquake, located in what is now known as the Middleton Place-Summerville Seismic Zone, was felt as far away as Chicago, Boston, and even Cuba.
However, the quakes shaking Elgin are in a different location in the state along the Eastern Piedmont Fault System which runs from Alabama to Virginia.