2011 Earthquake '100 Times Bigger' Than Tuesday's Earthquake Off OCMD Coast
OCEAN CITY, Md. (WJZ) -- When news broke Tuesday night that an earthquake was measured off the coast of Ocean City, Maryland, it went viral -- people sharing whether or not they felt the quake.
The earthquake, 136 miles off the beach town's coast in the Atlantic Ocean, made for a minor shale -- with the distance and the moderate 4.7 magnitude.
4.7 Magnitude Earthquake Reported Off Coast Of Ocean City
"It had plenty of time to mitigate itself to become a lot smaller before it hit any kind of structures," according to Richard Ortt, with the Maryland Geological Survey. "Nobody really felt it or if they felt it, it was very, very minimal. No damage is expected from all of this."
It was also too small to generate a tsunami threat, although offshore bouys were checked as a precaution.
But it showed up on seismographs operated by Maryland's Geological Survey in Reisterstown and Garrett County.
More people inland than in Ocean City reported feeling slight movement.
Location has everything to do with how strong a quake is felt and how much damage it can cause.
For example, it was a vastly different even with the quake that hit the Mid-Atlantic in 2011 for two reasons: it was centered on dry land directly beneath people and building and with 5.7 magnitude, it was far more powerful.
ARCHIVES: 5.8 Earthquake In Virginia In 2011 Felt In Maryland
"Approximately 100 times bigger than the one we had yesterday," said Ortt. "Triggered by either an underwater landslide or an unknown fault."
There was also an earthquake in Delaware in Dec. 2017.
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