Earthquake Awareness Week

It’s earthquake awareness week.

There are a number of fault lines in South Carolina and there have been two major quakes in state history.

The first occurred in Charleston in 1886, which had an estimated strength of 7.3 on the Richter scale and killed roughly 100 people.

The second took place in Union County in 1913 and had an estimated magnitude of 5.5.

More recently there have been a number of smaller earthquakes in the Lowcountry

The most recent was a 3.6 magnitude quake near Summerville in December 2008.

In recognition of the week students at public schools throughout South Carolina will take part in earthquake drills.

There are also events planned in Summerville and at the State Museum in Columbia.

Experts believe if another major earthquake were to hit the state, the loss of life would be minimal.

However, it would likely cause billions of dollars in damage and leave thousands of people homeless.