Earthquakes in South Carolina
The most recent earthquake of M2.5 or more in South Carolina was M 3.0, 5 km WSW of Irmo, South Carolina, at 12:17 pm EST on 26 February 2026. 2,494 people reported feeling it to USGS. 17 smaller earthquakes have been recorded in South Carolina since.
No earthquake of M1.5 or more was recorded in South Carolina in the last 24 hours.
- Last 24 hours
- 0
- Last 7 days
- 0
- Last 30 days
- 1 · an average 30 days here since 2016: 1.9
- Last 12 months
- 31 · largest M 3.0 on 26 February 2026
- Since 2016
- 249 earthquakes of M1.5 or more
- Largest since 2016
- M 3.9 on 18 June 2022, 7 km E of Stillmore, Georgia
Latest quake, 24 hours and 7 days: the QuakeIndex database, which reads USGS every 30 seconds, read at ; 30 days and 12 months: the QuakeIndex catalogue, counted to · earthquakes of M1.5 or more in South Carolina, where USGS names the state in the location
Every earthquake in South Carolina in the last 24 hours →
Quiet QuakeIndex 0 / 100
0 quakes of M1.5 or larger in the last 7 days in South Carolina. Normal for here is 0 to 1 in a week.
Compared against South Carolina's own 10 years · USGS catalogue · updated
If you felt one
- Was that an earthquake? — checks what was recorded near you in the last hour
- Report what you felt to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us, and they are what produces the intensity maps
- Expect aftershocks, and be ready to Drop, Cover, and Hold On if you feel one; if you are in a damaged building, go outside and move away from it (Ready.gov, FEMA; what to do during and after an earthquake)
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings or forecasts. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert and the MyShake app.
The last 30 days
Show these earthquakes on your own site: a free card with this strip and the latest quakes in South Carolina, for a local news site, school or neighborhood page.
Live · last 7 days
Latest earthquakes in South Carolina
None in South Carolina in the latest snapshot we hold; the full 7 days load from USGS as this page opens.
Source USGS · snapshot of
The last 7 days on the map
Open the full map — zoom anywhere, or find your own location →
Largest on record in and around South Carolina
| Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|
| M 3.9 | 7 km E of Stillmore, Georgia | |
| M 3.6 | 6 km E of Elgin, South Carolina | |
| M 3.5 | 6 km E of Elgin, South Carolina | |
| M 3.4 | 6 km E of Elgin, South Carolina | |
| M 3.3 | 5 km SSW of Lugoff, South Carolina | |
| M 3.3 | South Carolina | |
| M 3.3 | 5 km ESE of Elgin, South Carolina | |
| M 3.2 | 4 km NNW of West Canton, North Carolina |
From the QuakeIndex catalogue, built from the USGS FDSN event service · inside a rectangle drawn around South Carolina, which takes in some ground over its borders.
Before 2016: the largest in South Carolina since 1900
The USGS record from 1900 to 2015 lists no earthquake of M5 or more in South Carolina.
USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900 to 2015, each epicentre counted for the state whose nearest county it is. Epicentres of early earthquakes are estimates. This is the record, not a forecast.
The most active counties in South Carolina
| County | M1.5+ in 10 years | This week |
|---|---|---|
| Saluda County | 205 | Quiet (0) |
Counted within each county page's own radius from the QuakeIndex catalogue (USGS, M1.5+, ten years).
Towns in South Carolina with the most earthquakes named after them
Lugoff 11 M2.5+ named after it · Columbia 7 M2.5+ named after it · Greenwood 4 M2.5+ named after it · Dentsville 0 M2.5+ named after it
Each town page lists every M1.5+ earthquake within 30 km since 2016 and the ones USGS named after it. Town names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0).
Counties in South Carolina
- Abbeville County
- Aiken County
- Allendale County
- Anderson County
- Bamberg County
- Barnwell County
- Beaufort County
- Berkeley County
- Calhoun County
- Charleston County
- Cherokee County
- Chester County
- Chesterfield County
- Clarendon County
- Colleton County
- Darlington County
- Dillon County
- Dorchester County
- Edgefield County
- Fairfield County
- Florence County
- Georgetown County
- Greenville County
- Greenwood County
- Hampton County
- Horry County
- Jasper County
- Kershaw County
- Lancaster County
- Laurens County
- Lee County
- Lexington County
- Marion County
- Marlboro County
- McCormick County
- Newberry County
- Oconee County
- Orangeburg County
- Pickens County
- Richland County
- Saluda County
- Spartanburg County
- Sumter County
- Union County
- Williamsburg County
- York County
Be ready
Earthquakes cannot be predicted, here or anywhere, so the useful step is the one taken beforehand. The advice below is from the agencies responsible for it.
- Ready.gov: earthquakes (FEMA) — what to do before, during and after, including Drop, Cover, and Hold On
- Build a kit (FEMA) — water, food and supplies for several days; our summary
- USGS: preparedness — the hazard behind the advice, from the agency that records every quake on this page
- The Great ShakeOut — the yearly earthquake drill, with material for homes, schools and workplaces