An
earthquake struck at 10:31 a.m., June 10 only about one-half mile off
the Lake County shoreline and at a depth of about three miles
underneath Lake Erie, a figure geologists consider as being shallow.
The
4.2 magnitude event shook such nearby communities as Euclid,
Wickliffe, Mentor and Eastlake though local police departments did
not report any damage. Agencies did field numerous telephone
inquiries, however.
A
series of at least five 2.0 to 2.5 magnitude aftershocks were recorded as
well, said Eric Heis, geologist with the Ohio Department of Natural
Resources’ Division of Geological Survery.
“Seismic
activity of 2.5 and above can generally be felt. This is a known
epicenter of earthquakes, due to the geologic history of the area,”
Heis
said.
This
location
both beneath and near Lake
Erie in the Lake County area is a fairly active fault zone. The last
tremor in this region was a 2.0 magnitude event on March 3th in Lake
County’s Concord Township. This event was preceded by a 2.1
magnitude incident on December 7th, 2018; also underneath
Lake Erie and about four miles north of Fairport Harbor.
To
date for 2019, Ohio has recorded six earthquakes. Another 10 were
recorded in 2018, 12 events in 2017, and 11 in 2016.
Since
2010, Ohio has experienced nearly 100 earthquakes measuring at least
2.0 magnitude of which only one other event was recorded at 4.0
magnitude or more, reports the Ohio Division of Geological Survey
Division.
Ohio
is on the periphery of the New Madrid Seismic Zone. The
origins of Ohio earthquakes, as with earthquakes throughout the
eastern United States, are poorly understood. Those in Ohio appear to
be associated with ancient zones of weakness in the Earth's crust
that formed during rifting and continental collision events about a
billion years ago, the
Geological Survey says also.
Ohioans
who felt this – or any other similar – event in the state are
encouraged by Division of Geological Survey’s Ohio Seismic Survey
at 855-782-5364.
JFrischk@Ameritech.net
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