QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.6md

Earthquake near Lugoff, SC

USGS: 5 km SW of Lugoff, South Carolina

23 km (14 mi) NE of Columbia, SC · 114 km (71 mi) S of Charlotte, NC

1:45 am EST, Jan 5, 2022 · · 0.5 km deep · released about 220 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kershaw County 21 kmRichland County 23 kmSumter County 44 kmFairfield County 44 kmLee County 44 kmLancaster County 56 kmCalhoun County 57 kmLexington County 60 kmChester County 69 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
1:45 am EST on 5 January 2022 ()
Where
6 km (4 mi) SW of Lugoff, SC · earthquakes near Lugoff
Magnitude
M 2.6 (md)
Depth
0.5 km below the surface
Felt
412 reports · strongest reported intensity V
Nearest
Kershaw County, 21 km NE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 868 days ago

A magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded 6 km (4 mi) SW of Lugoff, SC, at 1:45 am EST on 5 January 2022 (06:45 UTC). 412 people have reported feeling it to USGS. This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Camden, Blythewood, Woodfield, Dentsville.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 220 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 70,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 50,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 4.4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.6 about 220 lb of TNT

Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.

For this area

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

Before 2016, the USGS record since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km.

Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.

Where

Epicentre 34.1850, -80.7263. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kershaw County, SC 21 km (13 mi) NE earthquakes near Kershaw County
Richland County, SC 23 km (15 mi) SW earthquakes near Richland County
Sumter County, SC 44 km (27 mi) SE earthquakes near Sumter County
Fairfield County, SC 44 km (27 mi) WNW earthquakes near Fairfield County
Lee County, SC 44 km (27 mi) E earthquakes near Lee County
Lancaster County, SC 56 km (35 mi) N earthquakes near Lancaster County

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

60 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 1.9 6 km E of Elgin, South Carolina
  2. 1.6 7 km SSW of Lugoff, South Carolina
  3. 1.5 7 km E of Elgin, South Carolina
  4. 1.6 9 km W of Boykin, South Carolina
  5. 1.6 8 km ESE of Elgin, South Carolina
  6. 1.8 6 km E of Elgin, South Carolina
  7. 1.8 5 km SSW of Lugoff, South Carolina
  8. 1.8 6 km E of Elgin, South Carolina
  9. 2.1 6 km SSW of Lugoff, South Carolina
  10. 2.3 7 km SSW of Lugoff, South Carolina
  11. 2.1 6 km ESE of Elgin, South Carolina
  12. 2.2 6 km E of Elgin, South Carolina
  13. 1.6 6 km E of Elgin, South Carolina
  14. 1.6 6 km SSW of Lugoff, South Carolina
  15. 1.6 6 km ESE of Elgin, South Carolina

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.

On USGS

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.