Columbia, Maryland was hit by an earthquake. It likely won't be the last

Did you survive the 2025 Colombia earthquake? Heck, you probably missed it.

The 2.5 magnitude earthquake that shook Howard County and surrounding areas Monday evening around 5:17 p.m. was relatively mild in terms of seismic activity. Although some residents said the quake drove them out of their homes, no one was hurt and there were no reports of damage.

Perhaps its greatest impact has been to remind Marylanders that earthquakes, although rare, are still possible.

“People become, for a very short period of time, aware of the crust of the Earth beneath them,” said Rebecca Cavague-Adams, a geologist with the Maryland Geological Survey.

Here's what you need to know about earthquakes in the area:

Earthquakes that originate in Maryland tend to be small

Unlike places like the West Coast or Japan, Maryland is not located near current tectonic plate boundaries, Kavagh-Adams said.

The state is located near the middle of the North American tectonic plate, which extends from the mid-Atlantic Ocean to California. This plate is moving away from the plate beneath Europe, putting some pressure on smaller faults and geological material beneath Maryland, Kavagh-Adams said.

“Over time, pressures build up on the rocks beneath us,” she said. “When they relieve stress, small earthquakes occur.”

The strongest confirmed earthquake in the state was a 3.1 magnitude event near Hancock, Washington County, in 1978. More recently, a 2.3 magnitude earthquake was recorded in Montgomery County in January 2024. A few months later, a “small” earthquake was confirmed near Spencerville.

Multiple earthquakes have occurred near Colombia

Monday's quake was centered about 2.5 miles east of the Riverside community, which is located south of Columbia near the intersection of state Routes 29 and 32.

This intersection was the site of other seismic activity in 2001 and 2002. Both quakes were smaller than Monday's quake.

According to the Maryland Geological Survey, earthquakes over the years have originated near the Allview Estates area of ​​Columbia as well as in Ellicott City, Fulton and Glenelg.

Benjamin Fernando, a seismologist at Johns Hopkins University, said the distribution of earthquakes is not random.

About 400 million years ago, Baltimore was located at the boundary of tectonic plates. Fernando said the remaining faults are still from that era, and new faults have appeared later, but the area is considered fairly stable.

“Not much has happened geologically for a long time,” he said.

Earthquakes can be felt out of state in Maryland as well

Seismologists can't predict when the next earthquake will occur in Maryland. However, research indicates that residents are more likely to feel earthquakes outside the state than tremors originating here.

Areas in Virginia and north of Wilmington, Delaware, have historically experienced more seismic activity than Maryland, according to the Maryland Geological Survey.

For example, the most widespread earthquake in U.S. history occurred in 2011, when a 5.8-magnitude earthquake was detected near Mineral, Virginia, and caused total property damage estimated at $200 million to $300 million.

Maryland residents also reported feeling a 4.8 magnitude earthquake detected in New Jersey in 2024.

Fernando said earthquakes that occur on the East Coast tend to be felt more widely than those that occur on the West Coast, although scientists are still figuring out why that is.

The 2011 Virginia earthquake was felt from Florida to Maine and even as far west as Colorado, Texas and Utah.

The state of Maryland monitors seismic activity at two sites, Soldiers Delight in Baltimore County and Garrett College in western Maryland.

In the wake of Monday's quake, Kavaj-Adams rushed home to check the seismometer she keeps in her basement.

Although she didn't feel the tremors herself, the seismologist was excited that people experienced the quake for a moment without any damage.

“We could sell our country that way,” Kavagh-Adams joked. “Maryland is a safe place to experience earthquakes.”

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