This past weekend, a second earthquakes rattled the small South Carolina town of Jenkinsville.
Yesterday morning’s quake measured 2.2 on the rictor scale, which was significantly larger than the 1.6 magnitude quake that struck the same area on Tuesday.
This year there have also been a ton of quakes around the town of Elgin, SC, located a few miles east of Jenkinsville, between Charleston and Columbia. So far, the total of Elgin quakes is now at 65 in the past year alone.
According to the USGS, the quake had a magnitude of 1.7 and a depth of 4.7 km.
The earthquakes around Elgin have been increasing in number and magnitude since they first started in late 2021, with the largest being a magnitude 3.6, which knocked out the power for hundreds in the area.
Earthquakes have been increasing in frequency around the Charleston region over the past few years. Last year, we experienced the largest earthquake in over 100 years when a 5.1 magnitude quake hit Sparta, NC, and since then, dozens of aftershocks have continued to rattle our state.
According to USGS.gov, “Moderately damaging earthquakes strike the inland Carolinas every few decades, and smaller earthquakes are felt about once each year or two.”
Did you feel either of the South Carolina quakes this past weekend?
