Another earthquake has struck outside of Cleveland Ohio, generating several “Did you feel it?” shaking reports to the USGS website. While shaking was reported by people in the region, there were no reports of damage or injuries. This earthquake occurred in one of two locations Ohio has seen unusual, persistent, albeit weak, earthquake activity over the last several months.
According to USGS, the relatively weak magnitude 2.0 earthquake struck outside of Madison, Ohio last night at 8:01 pm from a depth of 8.2 km. Earthquakes struck in this same general area last January and September. A stronger magnitude 3.6 struck near here last August.
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.
