Hundreds of people reported shaking early this morning from an earthquake that jolted northwestern Ohio. According to USGS, a magnitude 3.0 earthquake struck outside of Jackson Center in western Ohio, half way between Columbus, Ohio and Indianapolis, Indiana at 12:27 am. The earthquake’s epicenter had a depth of 6.6 km. According to USGS, 290 people used the “Did you feel it?” web-based earthquake reporting tool to report feeling today’s jolt. Earlier this month, an earthquake struck northeastern Ohio on December 1, where several other earthquakes have hit in recent months. It’s unlikely the activity in the eastern part of the state is directly related to today’s earthquake.
There have been no reports of damage or injuries from today’s earthquake.
According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Ohio has deployed a seismic network with 21 seismograph stations throughout the state that continuously monitor and record earthquake activity. The Ohio Seismic Network (OhioSeis) went online in January 1999, ending a five-year gap during which there was only one operating station in Ohio. Ohio has 24/7 monitoring and coverage by seismic stations with automatic detection, location and magnitude determination.
Earthquake activity in Ohio is not common. A magnitude 2.6 earthquake struck outside of Toledo in May. Before that, an earthquake hit on March 20 about 14 miles southwest of Gallipolis; it was a magnitude 2.3 event. On February 4, an even weaker magnitude 2.0 event struck near Athens. On January 23, an earthquake of the same magnitude, 2.0, struck near Fairport Harbor.
USGS says Ohio has experienced more than 160 felt earthquakes since 1776. Most of these events caused no damage or injuries. However, 15 Ohio earthquakes resulted in property damage and some minor injuries. The largest historic earthquake in the state occurred in 1937. The 1936 event had an estimated magnitude of 5.4 and caused considerable damage in the town of Anna and in several other western Ohio communities.
