Cayce, SC (Paul Kirby) - The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has confirmed that Cayce Department of Public Safety’s officers weren’t dreaming this morning when they heard a boom and felt the Public Safety Complex shake. The sound and shutter were a result of a 2.0 earthquake centered near New State Road and Brookcliff Drive.
According to the USGS, the quake that shook the town and made the big boom described as an explosion happened about 3:45 a.m. Officers immediately began searching for the source of the sound in fear that one of their businesses or homes had some catastrophic emergency. They were unable to find anything after an exhaustive search. One officer did mention that the sound could have been an earthquake, but they weren’t aware that booms can be associated with those.
The USGS said the depth of the Cayce quake was approximately 0.5 miles under the surface. Their website explains that the shallow depth of the quake was why the officers and some residents heard the boom. The government agency says that deeper quakes usually don’t make a sound because the vibrations from the shifting of the earth’s plates is dissipated before it can reach the surface making a noise. In shallower quakes, the shift’s vibrations can be heard at the surface which produces the boom that the Cayce officers heard.
So far, no major damage has been reported.
