South Carolina, United States

Earthquakes Near Charleston

USGS has not recorded an earthquake within 120 km of Charleston in the last 30 days. The largest ever recorded here is M 4.8, Near Charleston, South Carolina, on 1912-06-12.

Nothing recorded in the last 30 days

USGS logged 9 events here in the last year. The historical record is below.

Recent earthquakes within 120 km of Charleston

USGS has not located an earthquake within 120 km of Charleston in the last 30 days. That is normal for this area: it recorded 9 in the last year.

The largest on record within 120 km of Charleston

Since 1900, when the instrumental record becomes usable. The largest is M 4.8 at Near Charleston, South Carolina on 1912-06-12: light: noticeable shaking, minor damage possible.

Largest since 1900 USGS

Magnitude Location Date Depth
M 4.8 Near Charleston, South Carolina 1912-06-12 Not recorded
M 4.7 10 km SSW of Ladson, South Carolina 1974-11-22 18.0 km deep
M 4.4 2 km N of Sangaree, South Carolina 1959-08-03 1.0 km deep
M 4.4 10 km ESE of Bowman, South Carolina 1972-02-03 2.0 km deep
M 4.2 Near North Charleston, South Carolina 1914-09-22 Not recorded
M 4.1 1 km SSE of Centerville, South Carolina 1992-08-21 6.5 km deep
M 4.0 26 km SSE of Kiawah Island, South Carolina 2002-11-11 2.4 km deep

How these numbers were counted

Counts include every earthquake of magnitude 1.0 and above that USGS located within 120 km of Charleston. The search is a circle of 120 km around the centre of Charleston, so everything listed is genuinely within that distance. Full method, including why counts from different places are not comparable.

Source: USGS Earthquake Hazards Program (FDSN event service). Retrieved 2026-08-10. Public domain.