FIRST ALERT: Boom heard across South Carolina likely a meteor

WMBF News reports that MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - A loud boom felt and heard across the Midlands and Pee Dee of South Carolina on Thursday was likely a meteor.

According to the USGS, the sonic boom is estimated to have originated in Saint Andrews and was heard and felt across the Midlands and into the Pee Dee around 5:24 P.M.

Reports of the Boom were reported across Columbia as well as surrounding counties, and even areas as far away as Darlington, Dillon, Florence and Chesterfield counties.

The USGS has confirmed that the boom was not the result of an earthquake.

A spokesperson said there was no earthquake activity in or around Columbia, with the last reported tremor being on May 22.

The department says that because earthquake magnitude scales are calibrated for seismic waves that travel through the Earth, standard magnitude calculation methods do not apply to sonic booms.