Black-and-white building ruins with a red stripe on the left. Red title top left with blue author names below. Black-and-white building ruins with a red stripe on the left. Red title top left with blue author names below. Black-and-white building ruins with a red stripe on the left. Red title top left with blue author names below.

Size: 7 x 10
Pages: 224
Illustrations: 50 b&w halftones, 10 tables

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 South Carolina History & Culture
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The History and Science of Earthquakes in South Carolina, 1698-2025

Donald A. Stevenson and Pradeep Talwani

Paperback
978-1-64336-707-1
Published: Jan 28 2027

$29.99

Hardcover
978-1-64336-681-4
 Published: Jan 28 2027

$74.99

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Ebook
978-1-64336-708-8
 Published: Jan 28 2027

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OA Ebook
978-1-64336-708-8
 Published: Jan 28 2027

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The inclusion of this book in the Open Carolina collection is made possible by the generous funding of University of South Carolina School of the Earth, Ocean & Environment and University of South Carolina Libraries

A comprehensive account of South Carolina earthquakes from colonial settlement to the present

The largest destructive earthquake to impact the eastern coast of the United States occurred in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1886. In The History and Science of Earthquakes in South Carolina, 1698-2025, Donald A. Stevenson and Pradeep Talwani, two of the state's most experienced seismologists, trace seismic activity from the first recorded trembling in 1698 to the 1886 earthquake and its considerable aftershock period, to the development of modern seismic monitoring. They draw on the best primary sources available from each period, from diary entries and newspapers to instrumental seismic data, and correct errors in previous earthquake catalogs. Stevenson and Talwani also explain the causes and types of South Carolina earthquakes and the research that has led to our modern understanding of them. Complete with more than forty figures and maps, this volume is an essential reference for understanding South Carolina seismicity.



Donald A. Stevenson is a geologist and seismologist whose fifty-year research career has focused on earthquake activity in South Carolina.

Pradeep Talwani is a geophysicist and Distinguished Emeritus Professor at the University of South Carolina specializing in seismicity and reservoir-induced earthquakes.

"There are no other books like The History and Science of Earthquakes in South Carolina, 1698–2025, and this one is unlikely to ever be exceeded. The scholarship is top drawer, accurate, and complete."—Peter E. Malin, Duke University

"This book by Stevenson and Talwani is largely technically correct and the science is well documented. The historical content could almost stand on its own as a separate contribution, but the technical content 'adds icing to the cake.' This book should become the standard reference for South Carolina earthquake history and documentation of SC earthquake activity."—Robert D. Hatcher Jr., University of Tennessee, co-editor of Geology at Every Scale