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Small quake shakes Valley
Mahoning County Earthquakes
There have been six earthquakes with epicenters in Mahoning County, and all happened this year.
March 17: A 2.6-magnitude earthquake occurred at 6:53 a.m., its epicenter just east of Salt Springs Road near state Route 193 on Youngstown’s West Side.
Aug. 22: A 2.2-magnitude earthquake occurred at 8 a.m. and was centered near Salt Springs Road and Meridian Road on the West Side.
Aug. 25: A 2.4-magnitude earthquake occurred at 3:44 p.m., also on the West Side.
Sept. 2: A 2.2-magnitude earthquake occurred at 5:03 p.m., again on the West Side.
Sept. 25: A 2.4-magnitude earthquake occurred about 9 p.m. with an epicenter near the I-680 and state Route 711 interchange.
Sept. 29: A 2.5-magnitude earthquake occurred at 8:52 p.m. with an epicenter west of Youngstown State University, on the west side of the Mahoning River.
Sources: ODNR, U.S. Geological Survey
YOUNGSTOWN
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources confirmed a 2.5-magnitude earthquake subtly shook parts of the Mahoning Valley on Thursday night.
It is the second reported earthquake with an epicenter in the city in less than a week — and the sixth in the Valley this year.
Michael Hansen, senior geologist at ODNR, said the earthquake occurred at 8:52 p.m. with an epicenter west of Youngstown State University, on the west side of the Mahoning River. The seismograph at YSU picked up the waves, Hansen said.
He said the epicenter was at the same place as other earthquakes that the Valley had experienced lately.
Rosie Aikens, who lives on South Hartford Avenue on the West Side, was in her son’s bedroom when she felt the quake. She said it felt like something hit her home.
“It was like what we felt last Sunday, just harder,” Aikens said. “It was scary.”
The U.S. Geological Survey reported a 2.4-magnitude earthquake shook the Valley Sunday at 9:06 p.m.
According to the Mercalli Intensity Scale, earthquakes between magnitudes 2.0 and 3.0 are felt by a few people, especially those on upper floors.
But on Thursday, several police stations in the suburbs, both north and south of Youngstown, said residents called in and reported feeling the quake.
Boardman police said they fielded 20 calls regarding the tremor, and the Liberty police reported several calls. And to the west, Austintown police said residents were calling in and wondering what had happened.
Hansen said Ohio has had more than 230 earthquakes.
In July, a 5.8-magnitude earthquake hit the East Coast, shaking parts of Ohio with it.
A 2.6-magnitude earthquake occurred at 6:53 a.m. March 17, its epicenter just east of Salt Springs Road near state Route 193 on the city’s West Side. It also was picked up by the seismograph at YSU.
Hansen said anyone who noticed the earthquake should visit ohiodnr.com/ohioseis and fill out a form describing what they felt.