Small earthquake rumbles parts of Central Maryland

A small earthquake shook parts of Maryland late Tuesday evening.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 2.0 earthquake occurred near Sykesville, in Central Maryland, at around 11:49 p.m. Tuesday with a depth of around 3.1 miles.

According to the agency’s Did You Feel It site — which gathers user-submitted reports of earthquake intensity — more than 200 people felt the earthquake, with most reporting weak to light shaking.

The quake was most widely felt in Carroll, Howard and Anne Arundel counties, but reports of weak shaking were received from as far away as Frederick, Gaithersburg and Silver Spring.



A spokesperson for the Howard County Police Department told WTOP that 911 operators received a few calls from residents who had “heard a boom or felt a rumble.”

The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office and the Maryland State Police’s Westminster barrack had not received any reports of injuries or damage in their area as of Wednesday morning.

Last year, a small 2.1-magnitude earthquake shook parts of Clarksville.

Shaking reports from Tuesday night’s magnitude 2.0 earthquake, centered near Eldersburg. (Courtesy USGS)

José Umaña

José Umaña is a digital editor for WTOP. He’s been working as a journalist for almost a decade, covering local news, education and sports. His work has appeared in The Prince George’s Sentinel, The Montgomery Sentinel, Orlando Sentinel, PressBox and The Diamondback.

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