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South Carolina earthquakes return with rumble under Fort Jackson, USGS data shows

The quake registered a magnitude of 2.5 and was felt around the area on Sunday night.

UPDATE: Subsequent data from the U.S. Geological Survey places the Sunday earthquake's epicenter to the north of where it was previously reported by the agency that night. The new data shows it in the general area of the previous 80 earthquakes that have rumbled the Kershaw County region since December. 

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- After weeks of relative quiet, South Carolina's Midlands once again came alive with the rumble of seismic activity.  But this time, maps suggest it didn't originate in Kershaw County.

While data is still preliminary, the U.S. Geological Survey reports that a magnitude 2.5 earthquake was responsible for what several across the Columbia area felt around 9:33 p.m. on Sunday.

Perhaps most surprising, however, is that the quake, based on the early data, was centered under the eastern portion of Fort Jackson and just east of Colonels Creek.

The earthquake is the 81st in the Columbia area since late December. However, it's one of the few that occurred outside of the Lugoff and Elgin areas of Kershaw County.

As for the magnitude, at 2.5, it's right at the base level at which the average person can feel an earthquake. And as of 10:10 p.m., roughly 720 people had already claimed to have felt the rumble it produced.

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