Md. Earthquake History Is Not Violent
CROWNSVILLE, Md. (WJZ) -- The old state promotion that "Maryland is America in Miniature," apparently extends to earthquakes.
Alex DeMetrick reports a small quake hit the state this past weekend, and most of us never felt a thing.
It barely budged seismographs Saturday night.
A 2.2 magnitude quake just west of Crownsville was felt mostly in Anne Arundel County--if it was felt at all.
"A lot of people were just saying, 'What was that?'" Mike Antoniak of Severna Park said.
"We didn't realize it was an earthquake until this morning," said Susan Pequeygney of Severna Park. "We woke up and heard it on the news."
"And this one ranks up there with shaking pictures on the windowsill," said Richard. "That's about it."
Nothing like the 5.8 quake in 2011.
That earthquake four years ago was centered on a faultline in Virginia, and shook the Washington Monument so hard, it had to be closed down for a multi-year repair job.
It caused structural damage to a handful of buildings in Baltimore and gave emergency planners something new to worry about. It even led to earthquake drills.
But Maryland's earthquake history is not violent.
In 1990, a 2.5 quake was felt in Baltimore City. In 1978, there was a 3.1 magnitude quake in Washington County. In 1930, a 3.5 in Baltimore County. And way back in 1758, as estimated 3.5 quake rattled Annapolis.
All were larger than Saturday's shake.
"We're in an area of smaller faults, deeper, historically not too active faults," said Richard Ortt, director of Maryland Geologic Survey. "So these faults aren't actively spreading and compressing, so we don't see a lot of activity. And the activity we see is generally small from these. It's always a good thing."
Considering what Virginia's larger quake felt like here.
Experts say the fault that triggered Saturday's quake is six and a half miles deep and was not on any maps--just like most of the faults beneath Maryland.
