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A small earthquake east side of Lima, Ohio
Origin Time: 12 May, 2006, 01:51:11.38 UTC
Location: 40.720º N 84.090º W
Magnitude: 2.8 mbLg
Depth: 5 km (Fixed)
A small earthquake struck the east side of Lima on May 11 at 9:51 p.m. EDT (01:51 May 12 UTC). No damage was reported from the 2.8-magnitude event but many residents of Lima, particularly on the east side of town, reported a booming sound followed by a brief period of shaking. Many thought that the refinery exploded. Approximately 40 felt reports were submitted through the Internet. Most were from the east side of Lima, but reports were received from Ada, Beaver Dam, Elida, Harrod, and Ottoville. Modified Mercalli intensity was III. The event was recorded at Ohio Seismic Network stations throughout western and central Ohio.
Lima is in the Western Ohio or Anna Seismic Zone, a region that has historically been the most active in the state. A magnitude 5.4 event on March 9, 1937 struck Anna and surrounding communities and remains the largest and most destructive Ohio earthquake in historic times. The zone has been relatively quiet for the last decade.
On September 19, 1884, a magnitude 4.8 earthquake occurred near Lima and caused minor damage in the community. The earthquake was characterized. . . "Slight damage occurred at Lima, where the shock was 'of considerable violence and caused much excitement.' Plaster was shaken from ceilings east and southeast of Columbus at Zanesville, Ohio, and Parkersburg, W. Va. Windows and dishes were broken at Defiance and Norwalk, Ohio; to the west at Fort Wayne and Muncie, Ind.; to the north at Lansing, Mich.; and to the east at Wheeling, W. Va. Furniture was displaced and buildings were heavily shaken at Urbana, Ohio, in Champaign County, and at many other towns in the regions. Also felt in Iowa, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and western Ontario, Canada, and at Washington, D.C. by workmen on top of the unfinished Washington Monument."
Individuals who felt the May 12 earthquake are encouraged to fill out a short form at:
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