Earthquake Rumbles Near Highway 61 Tuesday

A small earthquake rippled along the Middleton fault line at around 4 a.m. Tuesday. The quake registered at a puny 1.4 magnitude on the Richter scale.

Microquakes, which register below 2.0, are rarely felt five miles outside of the epicenter. The quake's epicenter was pinpointed near the intersection of Dogwood Ridge road and Highway 61, north of Middleton Plantation, according to U.S. Geological Survey.

This is the active fault's first quake of 2013. In late 2011 and early 2012, the fault was rumbling nearly every month. The last quake of 2012 was reported in July.

The Middleton fault is responsible for the 1886 Charleston earthquake that brought devastation to the region.

Click here to see other Middleton fault quakes.