A third earthquake has shaken the Midlands in 2025, rumbling near the same place as before.

A 2.0-magnitude earthquake, recorded around 7:45 a.m. Saturday , shook, for the second time this year, near Elgin , according to the South Carolina Emergency Management Division . It happened at about 1.5 miles below ground.

The previous earthquake was reported in the same area on Feb. 7 , occurring about 1.9 miles below ground.

History of earthquakes in SC

It has been uncommon for earthquakes to hit outside of the Midlands area of the Palmetto State, specifically beyond Kershaw County , where 64 earthquakes have been confirmed since the end of June 2022 , according to the South Carolina DNR.

That’s also where South Carolina’s most powerful recent earthquakes were recorded on June 29, 2022 .

On that day, two earthquakes – one a 3.5 magnitude and the other 3.6 – were included in a flurry of tremors and aftershocks. Those were the two largest quakes to hit South Carolina in nearly a decade. A 4.1-magnitude quake struck McCormick County in 2014.

Anyone who felt tremors and shaking or heard rumbling from Saturday morning’s earthquake can report it to the USGS .

Earthquakes that register 2.5 magnitude or less often go unnoticed and are usually recorded only by a seismograph, according to Michigan Technological University . Any quake less than 5.5 magnitude is not likely to cause significant damage, the school said.

February 15, 2025 | State, The: Web Edition Articles (Columbia, SC)
Author/Byline: Javon L. Harris, The State | Section: environment