aftershocks from the earthquake. Some of these started directly after the earthquake and were more frequent and the longer after the earthquake, the more spaced out the aftershocks were. The initial shock in Charleston lasted for about 45 seconds and was extremely destructive, leaving nearly all of the 8,000 city structures with either interior damage or broken windows. The first aftershock followed just ten minutes later, and had the city rumbling once again. In the next 24 hours, at least seven different aftershocks were felt in Charleston and its surrounding areas. The earthquake and its aftershocks caused damage to buildings in cities such as Savannah and Augusta, GA, as well as Columbia, SC, all of which reside more than 100 miles from Charleston. The quake was even felt in cities as far as Boston and Chicago, where plaster fell from ceilings in upper floors of some buildings. It has been estimated that if an earthquake of this size were to occur in the same place today, it would results in approximately $20 billion loss just in South Carolina, as well as approximately 900 deaths and 44,000 injuries. However, as the earthquakes that have occurred in Charleston are large but infrequent, happening every 500–600 years, it is very unlikely that another earthquake of this size will occur any time soon. See also Geology of the United States List of earthquakes in South Carolina List of earthquakes in the United States List of historical earthquakes References Further reading External links The Charleston Earthquake of 1886 – University of South Carolina Historical Earthquakes: Charleston, South Carolina – United States Geological Survey Fault Map of South Carolina – South Carolina Department of Natural Resources The Charleston Earthquake, 1886 Lowcountry Digital Library Overview of an archival collection on the Charleston earthquake – Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library Charleston Earthquake, 1886 – University of South Carolina Isoseismal map of the earthquake centered near Charleston, South Carolina, on August 31, 1886 – University of California, Santa Cruz History of Charleston, South Carolina Natural disasters in South Carolina 1886 earthquakes 1886 natural disasters in the United States Earthquakes in Ohio Earthquakes in South Carolina Earthquakes in Kentucky Earthquakes in Alabama Earthquakes in West Virginia Earthquakes in Virginia 1886 in South Carolina August 1886 events 19th-century in Charleston, South Carolina Events in Charleston, South Carolina