A 2.3 magnitude earthquake shakes Rockville at the beginning of the new year – The Tide

A 2.3 magnitude earthquake rocked Rockville at 12:51 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 2, according to the U.S. Geological Service. The earthquake was 9.5 miles deep, with mild noise and shaking from about 1,400 residents in Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania, with most reports coming from Maryland and Washington, D.C.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services said no injuries or damage were reported from the earthquake. The epicenter, the location directly above the ground where the earthquake began, was about 2.2 miles west of Rockville.

Earthquakes, also known as earthquakes and tremors, are sudden releases of stress energy in the Earth's crust, causing waves of vibration that radiate outward. “Typically, earthquakes happen when there are tectonic plates moving relative to each other,” said Lisa Vincent, a physics professor.

Earthquakes are recorded using seismometers, which show the strength and impact of an earthquake. The actual size of an earthquake is called its magnitude. These events are also unpredictable, and scientists doubt whether they will be able to predict them at all.

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Ms. Vincent also has a possible explanation for the recent Rockville earthquake. “There are also places where stress builds up in the rocks just because they move a lot, so the local earthquake in Rockville isn't specifically a fault, but it's an area in the region that has had earthquakes before,” she said.

While major earthquakes are not very common in Maryland, minor earthquakes can occur from time to time. In August 2011, Maryland was hit by a 5.8 magnitude earthquake, causing more than $3 million in damage. According to the Maryland Geological Survey, an earthquake occurs in Maryland on average once every three years.

Nationwide, earthquakes occur frequently. The US Geological Service states that “according to long-term records (since about 1900), we expect about 16 large earthquakes to occur in any given year.”

Earthquakes are one of the many natural disasters that most people are aware of but may not know how to respond when faced with them. The CDC suggests people exposed to an earthquake should get on the ground, crawl, and cover their heads and necks to move under a nearby table. In addition, they advise staying away from windows and hanging objects.

MCPS created a seismic exercise called “Drop, Cover, and Stabilize.” This drill must be conducted once each school year, along with five other drills, including lockdown, shelter-in-place, severe weather, evacuation, and reverse evacuation.

Some RM teachers seem to have conflicting opinions about the importance of earthquake training. “I don't think this specific drill is critical for our specific area, but this is the kind of drill you can use in other situations where something is happening, like a building is collapsing around you,” she added. Vincent said.

On the other hand, RM students seem to find this exercise to be a necessary component of safety in the event of an earthquake.

“I think earthquake drills are essential to participate in because if this happens, we could get really hurt because we don't know what to do to stay safe,” said Ellie Wotrukowski, a sophomore.

Wotroski was home during the Jan. 2 earthquake.[I was] “I'm doing last-minute homework and I remember my house was shaking and I thought it was a plane passing, but then I realized the plane wouldn't shake my house like that or make as much noise as it did,” she said. “I checked the internet the next morning and saw that there was an earthquake. It was very surprising.”

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