A magnitude 1.9 earthquake was detected in the Midlands just after 11:40 a.m. Friday, with the U.S. Geological Survey placing the quake seven miles north of Irmo. Officials confirmed the tremor, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
It was the first earthquake reported in the Midlands since May 9, a reminder that the region can still shake even though seismic activity there is not regular. The latest quake followed another small South Carolina earthquake reported Thursday around 4:20 a.m. near McCormick, where the U.S. Geological Survey said a 1.9 magnitude event occurred about 1.7 miles west-northwest of town at a depth of 6 kilometers. That quake was reported 20.8 miles south-southwest of Greenwood and 28.9 miles north-northwest of Evans, Ga.
The Friday tremor did not bring any immediate sign of trouble, and that is the immediate answer for people in Columbia and the surrounding Midlands: no damage and no injuries were reported. But the cluster of small quakes in two days is the part to watch, because it shows the ground in South Carolina is still active even when the shaking is too light to cause harm.
