A 2.1-magnitude earthquake struck near Clarksville, Md., early Wednesday according to the United States Geological Survey.
Earthquake alert - I felt in Bethesda/DC area, but it says shaking reported from Columbia, Maryland.#MoCo pic.twitter.com/RI7qasW09D
— Robert Dyer (@BethesdaRow) August 4, 2021
One user described thinking it was a tree crashing down.
We thought a huge tree came down. We were out there in the dark with flashlights chasing an earthquake😄
— 🌛⭐🌜ThatWitch🌛⭐🌜 (@qitty1) August 4, 2021
Scientists say on average magnitude 2 and smaller earthquakes occur several hundred times a day worldwide. Tremors below 2.5 magnitude are so small that they are often not even felt, but can be recorded by seismograph.
Earthquakes in the eastern United States, although less frequent than in the west, are typically felt over a much broader region, according to USGS. A magnitude 4.0 eastern U.S. earthquake typically can be felt as far as 60 miles from where it occurred.
The Washington to Baltimore urban corridor is between more seismically active regions to the southwest and northeast, and residents of Washington or Baltimore have felt several earthquakes that caused damage in those other, more active regions.
Read more:
