ELGIN, S.C. — The United States Geological Survey (USGS) registered a 2.01 magnitude earthquake early Thursday morning near Elgin, South Carolina.
The quake rumbled around 5:03 a.m. and was centered about 4.34 miles east of Elgin at a depth of approximately 1.2 miles.
There have been a series of earthquakes in the area, off-and-on since December 2021. Thursday's earthquake is the 23rd to be recorded in the area near Lugoff and Elgin.
This quake follows a long line of earthquakes that have shaken the ground on a somewhat regular basis since the end of December. The first of those was considerably more powerful at magnitude 3.3 and was felt over a greater distance.
It's not known why this area has seen so many earthquakes in such a short amount of time.
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 as Cuba and New York. At least 60 people were killed, and thousands of buildings were damaged.
Structural damage extended hundreds of miles to cities in Alabama, Ohio, and Kentucky.
