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South Carolina shaken by 3.6 magnitude earthquake, 1,700 homes without power amid swarm of tremors

3.5 and 3.6 magnitude earthquakes were recorded near Columbia, South Carolina when multiple earthquakes hit a town for the third time in a week

A 3.6 magnitude earthquake shook the Midlands Wednesday, June 29, surpassing the weekend earthquake and making this the strongest documented report by the United States Geological Survey to hit South Carolina in eight years. Like before, the earthquake's epicenter was near the town of Elgin about 20 miles from Columbia. The US Geological Survey recorded the event around 2:44 pm. Over 1,700 meters were reported without power during June 29, Wednesday night, in Kershaw County.

According to the USGS, the magnitude of the earthquake was 3.5 and at a depth of about a mile below the surface. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) reported the earthquake was in the same area as the ones that were reported on Sunday, June 26, 2022. Four more earthquakes, ranging from 1.5 to 3.4 magnitude, came over the next four hours, marking 42 earthquakes to strike the Elgin area since Christmas.

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According to the USGS, a 2.1 magnitude earthquake was also reported in the area at 2:57 pm, an earthquake with a 1.9 magnitude was reported at 3:02 pm, and another earthquake was reported with a 1.5 magnitude at 3:34 pm. These groupings of smaller quakes of a similar magnitude are what seismologists call a swarm. The tremor that hit SC is a minor earthquake and it is considered so since it falls between 3 and 3.9 on the Richter scale. There are tens of thousands of these worldwide annually and, while they may be felt, they cause little or no damage.

“Swarms can last for a while,” said Steven Jaume, a seismologist and associate professor of geology at the College of Charleston said. “Sometimes they’re fairly short; sometimes they go on like this. There’s no obvious rhyme or reason about it, which for some people is frustrating.”

The continuous tremors prompted the Elgin residents to make the drive to Charleston for an emergency management seminar where Jaume spoke recently, seeking advice and answers for why this keeps happening. “Earthquakes are not hurricanes; we can’t see them coming,” he said. “They’re inside the earth.”

Daniel Bonds, WLTX Meteorologist wrote on Twitter, "For someone who has lived in South Carolina my whole live (almost 45 years, Winnsboro, Columbia and Charleston). I wonder if these #earthquakes are just going to be something we will have to deal with like thunderstorms, tropical systems? A new normal?"

A Twitter user also poked fun at the residents with a GIF since 3.6 is a minor earthquake but was enough to rattle South Carolina, "All the people in South Carolina having a fit over a 3.5 #earthquake! Please don’t ever visit Southern California, for your own safety. You will rebuild!". 

Wednesday’s, June 29 earthquake was the strongest one yet in the last year, surpassing the 3.4 magnitude earthquake Sunday, June 26. Previously, SCDNR had tracked a 3.25 magnitude earthquake on May 9, 2022, and a 3.3 magnitude earthquake on December 27, 2021, as the strongest detected earthquakes in the area east of Elgin. The USGS reported the earthquake was felt across the state in Aiken and as far away as Charlotte, NC. An aftershock of 2.06 magnitude was reported at around 2:57 pm near Elgin.

Approximately 10 to 15 earthquakes are recorded annually in South Carolina with 3 to 5 of them felt or noticed by people. About 70 percent of South Carolina earthquakes are located in the Middleton Place-Summerville Seismic Zone, according to the South Carolina Emergency Management Division.