Did anyone feel the Pa. tremor?
There was a small earth tremor just after midnight this morning, centered only about 57 miles north of Baltimore, and I'm wondering if anyone in the area felt it.
The US Geological Survey pinpointed the center of the shake two miles north northeast of a place called Salunga-Landisville, Pa. I've never heard of the place, but it's a bit north and west of Lancaster. It struck at 12:04 a.m. EST and was rated at a mere 3.4 on the Richter scale. Not much, to be sure, but big enough to be felt. I' ve had one email from Bryan in Timonium telling me he felt it there.
Here is a map of the area. The orange box shows the location of the tremor. And here's a link to more maps.
Small earthquakes in this part of the country are not common, but they are not unheard-of either. Here is a map showing where similar small quakes have been located in recent years. Today's shake was the biggest in a series this fall in the same general area. Here's a link to a list.
The seismic hazard is pretty low around Baltimore, although we have had several in recent years - including one in the Dundalk area, and another in Lochearn. I don't have those stories at my fingertips. But here's a link to the Maryland Geological Survey, which has more details.
The risk of seismic activity increases as you go up the East Coast to the New York City area. Here's a hazard map.
If you felt this morning's tremor, leave us a comment and describe what you felt.
Comments
My parents' whole house shook in northern Baltimore County (White Hall). It was just a few seconds but we definitely noticed it!
Posted by: Crystine | December 27, 2008 9:00 PM
My husband and I, nearly asleep in our home in Cockeysville, heard the lamp on our nightstand shaking for about 20 or 30 seconds. I told him that I thought it was a tremor; he agreed with me. The time you indicate is consistent with the time we noted on our bedside clock.
Posted by: Lee | December 27, 2008 11:47 PM
My whole family felt it here in Sparks.
Posted by: George | December 28, 2008 4:02 AM
Hey Mr. Frank! Jay S here, think I felt it last night while watching TV. It was a low boom sound that caused me to turn off the television.
Posted by: Jay | December 28, 2008 10:33 AM
I was sitting in my wing chair in timonium maryland and the whole chair shook for several seconds! it was daunting because i've never experienced that before! i immediately checked the time so i would know if others experienced it later. whew!
Posted by: barb walsek | December 28, 2008 2:35 PM
I didn't feel the shaking here in Fed Hill, then again we had some cocktails in hte evening. But while watching TV just after midnight I heard a loud thud from the kitchen. I went down & found a big onion on the floor. It seemed strange to me how it just rolled off the counter - now I know.
Posted by: john | December 31, 2008 3:52 PM
I live on the fourth floor of an apt. bldg. in Towson Maryland and definitely felt the earthquake. The pull chains on the kitchen lamps started dinging and it was really baffling until I heard about the quake. There also was a rushing sound of wind at the same time.
Posted by: mary | January 8, 2009 1:09 PM