SC DOT to Inspect Bridges After Small Earthquake

Edgefield, South Carolina – A rare earthquake measuring 4.1 on the Richter scale occurred Friday night at 10:23PM EST with the epicenter only 7 miles west of this small town of 4,700 people. However, the vibrations were felt 150 miles away reaching as far south as Atlanta and clear up into Hickory, North Carolina.

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the quake was felt everywhere in a very wide area. Today will mark the day when the damage assessment starts in nearby Edgefield. Thus far, there is no reported damage due to the quake, but the South Carolina Department of Transportation (DOT) has launched an inspection of all bridges in the state. The SC DOT says the inspections are being done as part of their standard response to earthquakes. There have also been no injuries reported as a result of the quake despite covering such a large area.

According to The U.S. Geological Survey’s website:

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. East of the Rockies, an earthquake can be felt over an area as much as ten times larger than a similar magnitude earthquake on the west coast. A magnitude 4.0 eastern U.S. earthquake typically can be felt at many places as far as 100 km (60 mi) from where it occurred, and it infrequently causes damage near its source. A magnitude 5.5 eastern U.S. earthquake usually can be felt as far as 500 km (300 mi) from where it occurred, and sometimes causes damage as far away as 40 km (25 mi).

One local resident of suburban Columbia, South Carolina, explained watching the brick walls of his house shake akin to what he witnessed while is Latin America. Another resident thought the snow storms had caused a tree to collapse under the sheer weight of the ice.

Small Earthquake In Canada As Well

According to reports there was also a small earthquake under Lake Ontario on Wedneday.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the 2.9 quake happened just before midnight, 40 kilometres southwest of Cobourg, Ont., and 57 kilometres northeast of Lockport, N.Y.
A map on the agency’s website shows the epicentre in the middle of the lake.

The agency says it was about five kilometres deep.

On The Web:
Small quake in SC felt hundreds of miles away
http://www.wbtv.com/story/24731054/small-quake-in-sc-felt-hundreds-of-miles-away

SC DOT engineers inspect bridges after earthquake
http://www.foxcarolina.com/story/24733622/earthquake-hits-during-scs-storm-response