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An earthquake with an initial magnitude of 2.6 was detected in Baltimore County, Maryland, on Friday afternoon, the US Geological Survey said, but there were no reports of injuries or damage.
“We received a few calls, I think it were four, from people who reported that they felt or heard something unusual,” said Elise Armacost, a spokeswoman for the county fire department.
She added that firefighters were sent to search for the damage. As of 4:30 pm, no damages had been reported.
There was apparently more internet disruption than in Woodlawn, Maryland, an unincorporated area of Baltimore County near the epicenter about 10 miles outside of Baltimore.
One person on Twitter said it “looked like an explosion” when the earthquake struck.
Earthquakes in the Maryland area occur infrequently but are unheard of, said Paul Caruso, a geophysicist with the Geological Survey. He said Friday’s earthquake occurred along the “small” fault line and was therefore not as powerful.
“It doesn’t look like the San Andreas River,” Caruso said, pointing to California’s main fault line. “The largest earthquake that can occur on a fault is directly related to the size of the fault. This is why San Andreas is capable of such large-scale earthquakes.”
There are small fault lines across the United States that have the potential to generate small earthquakes, Caruso said.
It was not clear if there would be any aftershocks from Friday’s quake, but Mr Caruso said any aftershock by definition would be weaker than the original quake.
Alan Delacruz, who works at a Las Vegas restaurant in Baltimore County, said he didn’t feel anything. “No, nothing here,” said Mr. Delacruz. “I’ve never felt one here.”
Baltimore County Emergency Management Services said the restaurant was located near the epicenter, which was off Windsor Mill Road and Security Boulevard.
Delacruz said the restaurant staff were going about their day as usual.
“I never knew we had earthquakes here,” he added.
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