Earthquake in Maryland: DC Earthquake Reports

New York (GaeaTimes.com) - The U.S. Geological Survey reported a 3.6 magnitude earthquake centered in Montgomery County at 5:04 a.m. on 16th July 2010. The epicenter was in Gaithersburg near I-270 and Route 124 (39.145 degrees N, 77.222 degrees W). It was 20 miles northwest of Washington. Its depth was 3.1 miles. It was felt by as many as 3 million people in the Mid- Atlantic region, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

No stronger earthquake hit in this place since 1974. The maximum magnitude reached since that year was 3.0. The last earthquake in Maryland occurred on October 8, 2007, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was a 1.7-magnitude quake about 5 miles northwest of Baltimore. So, the July 16th earthquake was although a lower magnitude earthquake than the recent earthquakes around the world but also it was still a major event in Maryland.

A huge noise was felt by residents of Maryland. A witness in Maryland said,

It was like a train, a dump truck that passes my window and lasted 90 seconds approximately I woke up and was dazed in my bed. My husband felt too. I’ve never felt an earthquake before

There are no reports of death or injury from the earthquake. No massive damage to any building is reported so far. Finally, the earthquake brought no evil for the residents of Maryland. The residents of Maryland are alerted for any further earthquake. Generally, earthquakes are followed by subsequent earthquakes. It is more common for massive earthquakes to be followed by small tremors but as this earthquake was not an earthquake of high magnitude, there is very low possibility of subsequent earthquakes.