Small SC town gets its second earthquake of 2017, both in the middle of the night

A magnitude 2.4 earthquake hit South Carolina on Friday, at 12:57 a.m., rattling the town of Pageland for the second time this year.

Pageland, which is about 45 miles southeast of Charlotte along the state line, was hit by a 2.2 magnitude earthquake in May. It happened at 2 a.m.

The latest quake originated 1.5 miles below the earth’s surface, which makes it a shallow earthquake, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It could be felt as far as three miles away, officials said.

No damage from the quake was reported Friday.

The U.S. Geological Survey reports of earthquakes North and South Carolina date back to 1776. The largest earthquake in the area (magnitude 5.1) occurred in 1916. Earthquakes causing moderate damage only strike inland Carolinas every few decades. But, smaller earthquakes happen once every year or two, says USGS.

Earthquakes in the central and eastern U.S., although less frequent than in the western U.S., are typically felt over a much broader region, says the USGS.

This story was originally published November 24, 2017 at 1:56 PM with the headline "Small SC town gets its second earthquake of 2017, both in the middle of the night."