This morning, Saturday, August 29th at 6:37am, a magnitude 3.2 earthquake rattled Summerville, SC. The earthquake was centered in almost directly under downtown Summerville and the light shaking was felt by many people. Magnitude 3.2 earthquakes generally cause no to minimal damage but may rattle dishes and wake some sleeping people.  Earthquakes of this magnitude occur on a regular basis in the Summerville/North Charleston area, the last earthquake in this area was a magnitude 1.7 on July 10 of this year.

Summerville was the epicenter of the largest earthquake on the east coast in 1886, when a ~7.0 earthquake shook the region at 9:50 pm on August 31.  Often known as the Charleston earthquake because of the larger concentration of people in Charleston, the earthquake was actually centered in the Summerville area.  At least 76 people died in the Charleston area (the estimate is likely low) and 2,000 buildings were damaged.  The damage was estimated to be ¼ the worth of the buildings in the area at the time.  Damage was reported from as far away as Alabama and Ohio and the earthquake was felt at distances as far away as  Milwaukee, WI, Cuba, and Bermuda.  Summerville has continued to be the locus of small to moderate earthquakes since the 1886 earthquake, of which the earthquake today is just the latest.

Shaking reports can be seen or made at the United States Geological Survey website (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/dyfi/events/se/hnw0327a/us/index.html).

South Carolina is laced with large and small faults, most of which are relatively aseismic and therefore hard to map at depth. Surface mapping of smaller faults is hampered by the thick sediment cover and the fact that many of the smaller faults never reach the surface. So unlike California, most earthquakes in S.C. occur on un-named, and possibly unknown faults. In South Carolina, we know we have minor to moderate earthquakes west of Summerville that cause no to moderate damage and that they can and have occurred throughout the State. People just need to be aware that they can happen, know what to do during an earthquake, and be prepared. For more information on South Carolina Earthquakes and how to be prepared, take a look at additional information on this website, the SC Emergency Management Department website (http://www.scemd.org/Prepare/index.html) or the United States Geological Survey Website (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/).