ELGIN/LUGOFF – Three more tremors were recorded near Elgin this week, with the last two occurring on Wednesday morning bringing the total number of tremors since Dec. 27 to 10, the U. S. Geological Survey reported.
The last 9 tremors continue to be aftershocks of the 3.3 magnitude tremor recorded on Dec. 27, the strongest of the 10 tremors.
The first tremor on Wednesday was recorded at 2.6 magnitude at 1:45 a.m., 5 km southwest of Lugoff, according to the USGS. It was the strongest aftershock since the initial 3.3 magnitude earthquake.
The second tremor on Wednesday, a 1.5 magnitude tremor, hit at 8:18 a.m., 7 km south-southwest of Lugoff.
A 2.5 tremor on Monday, Jan. 3 occurred after a night of heavy rain, high winds and thunderstorms. Residents in Blythewood, Fairfield County and Columbia who were up early reported hearing a loud roar about 5:49 a.m., accompanied by a tremor lasting several seconds. It was 5 km south of Lugoff.
Following the initial earthquake on Dec. 27, comments lit up Facebook pages of Blythewood and Fairfield County residents who reported that they felt their home shake. Some comments likened the the earthquake to the sound of thunder, a train or an airplane flying low over a house.
The aftershocks confirmed in Kershaw County have been similar in strength.
In the past two months, a series of seven minor tremors have been reported around the Monticello reservoir in Fairfield County.
No major damage or injuries have been reported from any of these earthquake or aftershocks.
