Is there a faultline that runs through S.C.?

Question

I heard that there is going to be a major earthquake in S.C. sometime this year, that is going to be devastating to whoever is on the faultline.

Answer 1

While it is true that SC is considered a passive zone, it does not mean that we don't have earthquakes. Actually SC has a history of earthquakes though most of them are small when compared to those in California. In other words, they don't make the major network news reports. For instance, in February of last year we experienced a 2.9 (RS) quake in Columbia. Most of these small quakes occur in the Piedmont areas. In the last few years there have been several to the west of my location. For more info follow on the earthquake mentioned above follow this link... http://www.dnr.sc.gov/geology/images/Earthquake02-18-05.pdf

As far as knowing when a major earthquake will occur in SC, that is hard to tell. Earthquake prediction is a tricky business.

The greatest damage would most likely occur on the coastal plain due to liquefaction. That is where loose unconsolidated sediments/soil when shaken become like a liquid. In the case of a larger quake, this is a hazard not for folks just near the "fault line" but for any area on the coastal plain.

The link below is a map showing the major faults in SC.
http://www.dnr.sc.gov/geology/images/Fault_Map_Generalized.gif

This link will take you to the USGS's latest earthquake occurrence map (w/in past 7 days). As you can see the west coast has been busy! http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsus/

The link below gives you the southeast's earthquakes in the past 6 months. As you can see, SC hasn't had any recently.
http://folkworm.ceri.memphis.edu/recenteqs/

Answer 2

No one can predict with any certainty when or where an earthquake will occur, so I wouldn't rush to sell your house in S.C. based on what you've heard.

On the other hand, there was a major earthquake in South Carolina on August 31, 1886. It had an estimated Richter magnitude of 7.3 (estimated because there were no seismographs back then!), and a Modified Mercalli intensity of X.(MM intensity of X is defined as: Most buildings and their foundations are destroyed. Some bridges are destroyed. Dams are seriously damaged. Large landslides occur. Water is thrown on the banks of canals, rivers, lakes. The ground cracks in large areas. Railroad tracks are bent slightly.) The earthquake caused major damage to the city of Charleston and killed 60 people (see first source). Because of this, the US Geological Survey classifies the coastal plain of S.C. as a moderately high seismic risk zone (see 2nd and 3rd sources). Microseismic activity has continued up to the present in this area.

The problem with doing seismic risk analysis and earthquake seismology in this area is that nearly all the potential earthquake-generating faults are buried beneath the coastal plain sediments, so identifying faults responsible for a given earthquake, or ones that might potentially give rise to an earthquake in the future is very difficult.

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Is there a faultline that runs through S.C.?
I heard that there is going to be a major earthquake in S.C. sometime this year, that is going to be devastating to whoever is on the faultline.

Answer 4

South Carolina Fault Line

Answer 5

So far as I know the science of seismology is not to the point where they can accurately predict earthquakes. South Carolona is not in an active fault zone, but is in what is called a "Passive Margin". Sorry, probably not going to be any earthquakes there for a few tens of millions of years.

Answer 6

It's called the Camden Faultline. I doubt it if there is an earthquake. It's likely to happen on the west coast. The east coast fault lines is causing the atlantic to become wider, therfore causing alot of continental shifting along the east coast. Which means that the water is moving in on us! The west coast fault lines is going to cause everything to break off. So, in the end the water from the east is moving in and the water from the west is breaking off everything, we are going to be submerged.