Scientists shocked by 10 earthquakes in South Carolina

[ad_1]

South Carolina struck 10 earthquakes in just over a week, leading experts to discover the cause of this shaky trend.

Two earthquakes were detected by the USGS on Wednesday, the latest in a series of earthquakes dating back to December 27. None of the earthquakes registered higher than that first magnitude 3.3 event, which was measured in Richland and Kershaw counties, officials said.

This could mean that other earthquakes are aftershocks, although the fact that they still come more than a week later is unusual.

“They’re not dying the way we expect,” said Stephen Gaum, a professor of geology at the College of Charleston. “What does that mean? I don’t know.”

The state is actually near a regional rift system that was created when the Appalachian Mountains formed while they were dormant for a long time — but could wake up again, Jaume told WRDW/WAGT.

The ten earthquakes did not cause major damage in the region. Elgin Town / Facebook

“If they don’t grow up, they are more of a nuisance than a concern,” he said. “I envy meteorologists because they can see storms coming. We can’t see earthquakes coming and nothing we can log tells us something bigger is coming.”

Don Blackman of the National Seismic Center told the Greenville News that the range of activities is common across the country. The series of earthquakes did not cause any damage.

“It takes about 4 degrees until you start seeing damage like shelves fall off,” he said. “Normally we don’t see structural damage to buildings in the United States until it’s 5 degrees.”

The state typically has about 20 earthquakes each year, says the South Carolina Department of Emergency Management.

with wire

.

[ad_2]