WDTN: How rare are earthquakes in Ohio?
UC geologist puts recent temblor into perspective
University of Cincinnati geologist Daniel Sturmer helped WDTN-2 News put a recent earthquake in Ohio into historical perspective.
The U.S. Geological Survey confirmed that a magnitude 3.6 earthquake was detected at 11 p.m. Sunday in Lake County, Ohio, just northeast of Cleveland. An aftershock caused tremors about 15 minutes later.
The tremors were enough to rattle windows and shake traffic cameras, WDTN reported.
Ohio's faults are buried deep beneath glacial till and sedimentary rock, seismologist Jeff Fox told WDTN. A relatively small earthquake in Ohio can often be felt in neighboring states, said Sturmer, an associate professor of geoscience in UC's College of Arts and Sciences.
“Those waves kind of have more juice,” Sturmer said. “They travel a little farther in Ohio because there are fewer faults and because the crust is cooler. You have an equivalent earthquake in Los Angeles and it wouldn’t be felt across L.A., probably.”
Earthquakes are are relatively rare in Ohio. Dayton has had just three reported quakes since the 1700s, WDTN reported.
Related Stories
Local 12: UC investigates potential PFAS contamination in groundwater
May 9, 2024
Local news media highlight UC project to study contamination in groundwater in southwest Ohio.
Smithsonian: How conservation paleobiology helps restore ecosystems
August 17, 2023
UC Assistant Professor Joshua Miller tells Smithsonian magazine about how he and his research partners tracked ancient caribou over 3,000 years and across hundreds of miles of Arctic tundra.
WDTN: How rare are earthquakes in Ohio?
August 29, 2023
UC Associate Professor Daniel Sturmer tells WDTN-2 that earthquakes are relatively rare in the Midwest.