Small earthquake shakes S.C., Ga.

AP11:17 p.m. EST February 14, 2014


(Photo: Tory Hargro, USA TODAY)

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

  • Quake had a preliminary magnitude of 4.4 and was centered 7 miles west of Edgefield, S.C.
  • USGS Geophysicist: A "large quake for that area"
  • Shook homes in South Carolina and across the border in Georgia


A small earthquake shook South Carolina and Georgia late Friday, startling residents and shaking homes in both states.

The quake happened at 10:23 p.m. EST and had a preliminary magnitude of 4.4, said USGS Geophysicist Dale Grant. It was centered 7 miles west of the town of Edgefield, S.C.

"It's a large quake for that area," he said. Grant had not yet heard of any reports of damage or injuries.

Tom Clements, of Earlwood, S.C., outside of Columbia, said he felt the walls of his brick house shaking "and they were definitely shaking like what I've experienced before in Latin America" during an earthquake.

Clements said he immediately went outside to see if anyone else had felt it and he found two neighbors who had.

"One thought a tree had fallen" because of the ice a severe winter storm dumped on the region earlier this week, he said.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...sc-ga/5501873/