September 1, 1886 Earthquake: Charleston, South Carolina, United States
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck Charleston, South Carolina, United States on September 1, 1886 at 02:51:00 UTC. It killed 60 people, counting the tsunami it caused.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- September 1, 1886
- Time
- 02:51:00 UTC
- Place
- Charleston, South Carolina, United States
- Magnitude
- 7.3 (Mw)
- Intensity
- 10 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 32.900° N, 80.000° W
- Country
- United States
The toll
- Deaths
- 60
- Damage
- $5 million; $6 million with its tsunami and other effects
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Generally referred to as August 31, 1886, as the earthquake occurred at 9:51 pm local time. Eight minutes later there was a severe aftershock. This was the most damaging earthquake to occur in the southeastern U.S. and one of the largest historic shocks in eastern North America. Structural damage was reported within several hundred kilometers from Charleston, and long-period effects were observed at distances exceeding 1,000 kilometers.
Mw 7.02, Intensity X(above from reference #542)
Mw 7.3 (reference #12415 and #12416)
More
Significant earthquakes of 1886The 1800sRecent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 2362.