Since engineers built Lake Monticello in 1978, geologists have recorded thousands of earthquakes that, for the most part, are too small for people to notice.

But with seven tremors reported in the past week near Jenkinsville, questions are surfacing about whether the lake is contributing to the latest quakes.

None of the recent earthquakes is considered large, nor has damage been reported, but they are substantial enough to have been picked up by U.S. Geological Survey gauges.

Key questions are whether more earthquakes are on the way for the area near the lake, and if any more do occur, whether they will be big enough to damage property and threaten public safety.

It's impossible to predict when a major earthquake will hit, but the S.C. Emergency Management Division said in a news release that more quakes are possible "for the next several months or even years in the area near the Monticello reservoir.''