The United States Geological Survey, or USGS, reported Monday morning that an earthquake has been felt just off the coast of Cleveland, Ohio in Lake Erie, the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes.
The earthquake was felt just before 11:00 am Monday, and reports of the shockwaves are coming from all over Northeast Ohio, including areas in Lake County, Euclid, Strongsville, and Mentor.
Northeast Ohio has the second highest frequency of earthquake activity in the state, suspected because of geological formations within Lake Erie itself.
Luckily the earthquake was not centered on land, because this could have been a different story. However, as of now, there are no reports of damage to property or injuries in the areas that felt the quake.
Local towns report that their 911 dispatchers are ‘overwhelmed’ by the sheer number of calls they are receiving due to the earthquake, however. The Mentor, Ohio Twitter page asked residents to watch the news instead of calling.
No need to dial 911: they are aware of the situation, and don’t know anything more about it.
USGS says over 200 people have reported to them that they felt the earthquake, with some residents close to the center feeling like their whole house was shaking. If the earthquake had been even a little more intense or close to the shore, it is possible we would have seen actual damage, including broken windows or cracked plaster.
While Ohio might not be the state you immediately think of when you’re thinking of earthquakes, the North East state does see its fair share of shakedowns. Northeast Ohio has seen more than 100 earthquakes since 1836, with most of them being offshore in Lake Erie, so damage is often minimal to nonexistent.
In March of 1937, Anna, Ohio saw two earthquakes within a 24 hour period. Six other states, as well as Canada, reported feeling the shock. The first earthquake in the morning did small amounts of damage to chimneys or other structures, but the second earthquake really drove it home.
Foundations and walls cracked, cemeteries had tombstones rotated off of their bases and structural damage to the local school was so bad that it had to be torn down.
