2.4 magnitude earthquake detected in Harford County, Maryland
A 2.4 magnitude earthquake was detected near Bel Air North, Maryland, on Monday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
The epicenter of the earthquake was determined to be about eight kilometers (nearly five miles) northeast of Bel Air North, near Route 1 and west of Palmer State Park, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
According to the USGS's reports, the earthquake was felt by nearly 220 people and was felt as far as 12 miles away in Baldwin, Maryland. So far, 36 Bel Air residents reported that they felt the quake.
The shaking was described as weak, and no damage has been reported, according to the DNR.
Officials with the DNR said earthquakes occur in the area due to "ancient geologic faults within the Earth's crust that formed hundreds of millions of years ago during the development of the North American continent."
The faults are intraplate faults, which are different from the faults associated with California earthquakes, according to DNR officials.
"Maryland's faults are more like cracks in a pie crust than the boundary between two tectonic plates, where one plate is forced beneath another," officials said.
In October 2025, a 2.5 magnitude earthquake was recorded in Howard County, with an epicenter located southeast of Columbia, Maryland, according to the USGS.
Residents between US-29 and I-95 felt the earthquake during the evening, including some in areas of Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties. According to the USGS, nearly 1,080 people reported feeling the earthquake.
In June 2024, a micro 1.8 magnitude earthquake was reported in Montgomery County, Maryland. Residents in Wilmington, Delaware and parts of Howard County, Maryland, reported feeling the quake.
In April 2024, a larger 4.8 magnitude earthquake was felt in Maryland, with an epicenter in Lebanon, New Jersey, about 40 miles west of New York City and 130 miles northeast of Baltimore. Residents in New York, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Boston, Massachusetts also reported feeling the quake.
