Harford County recorded a magnitude 2.4 earthquake just north of Bel Air on Sunday, June 15. While earthquakes are relatively uncommon in Maryland, they do happen from time to time!
That brings us to today's Trivia Tuesday question:
What was Maryland's largest earthquake on record?
A. Magnitude 6.9
B. Magnitude 1.9
C. Magnitude 3.7
D. Magnitude 2.7
Answer: C. Magnitude 3.7
Maryland's largest recorded earthquake occurred near Phoenix, Maryland, on November 26, 1939 (Baltimore County). The quake registered a magnitude of 3.7 and was felt across much of central Maryland.
Here's a fascinating fact about earthquakes: the Richter Scale isn't linear—it's logarithmic. That means each whole-number increase in magnitude represents a much larger increase in shaking and energy than most people realize.
For example, many people assume a magnitude 4.0 earthquake is simply twice as strong as a magnitude 2.0 earthquake. In reality, a magnitude 4.0 produces 100 times more ground-motion amplitude and releases about 1,000 times more energy than a magnitude 2.0 quake.
So how does Maryland's largest earthquake compare to the recent Bel Air earthquake?
Although the Phoenix earthquake measured only 1.3 magnitudes higher than the Bel Air earthquake, it produced roughly 20 times more ground shaking and released nearly 90 times more energy.
The good news is that earthquakes in Maryland are typically minor and rarely cause significant damage. Still, they serve as a reminder that even states far from major plate boundaries can occasionally experience seismic activity.
