Earthquake hits SC days after the most powerful tremors of year were recorded
For the second time in three days, an earthquake was recorded in South Carolina.
Monday morning’s seismic activity came two days after South Carolina’s most powerful earthquake of the year was confirmed in the same part of the Palmetto State, the Department of Natural Resources Geological Survey data shows.
Early Monday morning, a 1.6 magnitude earthquake occurred near Ladson, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The latest Lowcountry earthquake was recorded at 4:10 a.m., the South Carolina Emergency Management Division said.
The tremors rumbled about 4 miles below the surface of the ground, according to the USGS.
On Feb. 7, a 2.9 magnitude earthquake occurred near Centerville in the Lowcountry, the USGS reported. Only a 3.0 magnitude earthquake on Aug. 23, 2025, in the Coronaca area was more powerful than Saturday’s tremors, South Carolina DNR data shows.
A 2.3 magnitude earthquake also was confirmed near Centerville on Feb. 3, according to South Carolina DNR data.
Monday morning’s seismic activity was the fifth confirmed earthquake in South Carolina in 2026.
Prior to the three consecutive tremors in the Lowcountry, the previous earthquake occurring in the Palmetto State happened Jan. 27, when a 2.1 magnitude quake was confirmed near Elgin, South Carolina DNR data shows. That was recorded a week after South Carolina’s first confirmed earthquake of 2026 hit the same area in Kershaw County with a 2.7 magnitude quake.
There were 35 confirmed earthquakes in South Carolina in 2025.
In 2024, there were 30 earthquakes in the Palmetto State, after 28 quakes were recorded in 2023, South Carolina DNR records show.
History of earthquakes in SC
It had been uncommon for earthquakes to hit outside the Midlands area of the Palmetto State, specifically beyond Kershaw County, where 74 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 Monday’s earthquake can report it to the USGS.
The most recent earthquake means at least 172 have been detected in the Palmetto State since the start of 2022, according to South Carolina DNR. All but 56 of the quakes have been in the Midlands.
In all, 121 earthquakes have hit the Columbia area since a 3.3-magnitude quake was recorded Dec. 27, 2021, according to the DNR.
The S.C. Emergency Management Division said the majority of the recent earthquakes were classified as a micro quakes, according to the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale.
No major damage or injuries have been reported from the recent seismic activity or any of the other recent quakes.
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.
It had been typical for South Carolina to have between six and 10 earthquakes a year, the S.C. Geological Survey previously reported. There have been 186 earthquakes in South Carolina since Jan. 18, 2021, according to DNR. During a 2022 town hall to address the earthquakes, state geologist Scott Howard said as many as 200 smaller tremors might have gone unnoticed and unrecorded.
Reported earthquakes in SC 2025-26
| Date/Location | Magnitude | Depth (km) |
|---|---|---|
| Jan. 8/Jenkinsville | 1.9 | 3.0 |
| Jan. 31/Elgin | 2.0 | 3.1 |
| Feb. 9/Salem | 1.6 | 1.9 |
| Feb. 15/Elgin | 2.0 | 2.4 |
| March 19/Elgin | 1.5 | 2.2 |
| April 24/Elgin | 2.3 | 2.4 |
| April 26/Elgin | 2.6 | 2.4 |
| May 1/Lancaster | 2.2 | 4.5 |
| June 5/Tigerville | 2.2 | 12 |
| July 5/Parksville | 2.7 | 11 |
| July 16/Summerville | 2.2 | 1 |
| Aug. 9/Bucksport | 1.9 | 9 |
| Aug. 18/Coronaca | 2.2 | 4 |
| Aug. 19/Coronaca | 1.7 | 5 |
| Aug. 20/Ware Shoals | 2.0 | 3.2 |
| Aug. 23/Coronaca | 2.9 | 6.8 |
| Aug. 23/Coronaca | 3.0 | 2.1 |
| Aug. 23/Coronaca | 2.5 | 1.3 |
| Aug. 23/Coronaca | 1.9 | 0.1 |
| Aug. 23/Coronaca | 2.0 | 0.3 |
| Aug. 23/Coronaca | 2.4 | 5.4 |
| Aug. 23/Coronaca | 1.8 | 6.4 |
| Aug. 23/Coronaca | 2.1 | 8.0 |
| Aug. 24/Coronaca | 1.8 | 0.4 |
| Aug. 25/Coronaca | 2.0 | 0.4 |
| Aug. 25/Coronaca | 1.7 | 5.5 |
| Aug. 26/Coronaca | 2.4 | 0.3 |
| Aug. 27/Coronaca | 2.0 | 0.4 |
| Sept. 13/Ware Shoals | 1.7 | 0.0 |
| Sept. 26/Coronaca | 2.2 | 5.6 |
| Sept. 29/Kershaw | 1.8 | 12.8 |
| Oct. 1/Coronaca | 1.8 | 0.0 |
| Nov. 9/Centerville | 1.8 | 7.9 |
| Nov. 21/Ladson | 1.9 | 5.2 |
| Nov. 28/Elgin | 2.0 | 3.7 |
| 2026 | ||
| Jan. 20/Elgin | 2.7 | 4.1 |
| Jan. 27/Elgin | 2.1 | 4.7 |
| Feb. 3/Centerville | 2.3 | 7.7 |
| Feb. 7/Centerville | 2.9 | 5.2 |
| Feb. 9/Ladson | 1.6 | 6.2 |
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This story was originally published February 9, 2026 at 12:37 PM with the headline "Earthquake hits SC days after the most powerful tremors of year were recorded."
