The March 2, 1937 earthquake
M5.0Near Anna, Ohio
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake 1.2 miles deep, centred in Auglaize County. The 2nd strongest in Ohio’s record since 1900, and the strongest within 50 miles in the catalogue, which runs from 1900. 1 aftershock of magnitude 2.5 or more followed within 30 days.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.0
- as reported (mfa)
- Depth
- 1.2 mi
- 2.0 km below the surface
- Local time
- Tuesday, March 2, 1937
- 09:47 EST; 14:47 UTC
- In Ohio’s record
- 2nd
- strongest of 108 since 1900
USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, event ushis1163 (“Near Anna, Ohio”). The USGS event page carries the ShakeMap, felt reports and the official summary.
Aftershocks
Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more within 20 miles of the epicentre in the 30 days after.
1
Aftershocks in 30 days
5.4
Largest aftershock, Mar 9, 1937 · its page
0
On the first day
0
In the 7 days before
- The search radius is the surface rupture length expected for an earthquake of this magnitude (Wells and Coppersmith, 1994), at least 20 and at most 600 miles, so a great earthquake's sequence is counted along its whole fault.
- Before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s many small aftershocks went unrecorded, so early sequences read short.
Counties and cities within 50 miles
Distance from the epicentre to each county boundary (zero when inside) and to each city centre.
Counties
- Auglaize CountyOH · inside
- Shelby CountyOH · 3.5 mi
- Allen CountyOH · 12.0 mi
- Mercer CountyOH · 12.5 mi
- Darke CountyOH · 12.6 mi
- Logan CountyOH · 15.0 mi
- Van Wert CountyOH · 15.1 mi
- Champaign CountyOH · 20.1 mi
- Miami CountyOH · 20.1 mi
- Hardin CountyOH · 20.9 mi
- Putnam CountyOH · 25.9 mi
- Adams CountyIN · 28.4 mi
- Jay CountyIN · 28.4 mi
- Randolph CountyIN · 30.5 mi
- Hancock CountyOH · 30.8 mi
- Clark CountyOH · 33.4 mi
- Paulding CountyOH · 34.9 mi
- Montgomery CountyOH · 39.5 mi
- Union CountyOH · 39.6 mi
- Preble CountyOH · 40.9 mi
- Allen CountyIN · 40.9 mi
- Wells CountyIN · 42.1 mi
- Wyandot CountyOH · 43.4 mi
- Wayne CountyIN · 43.8 mi
- Marion CountyOH · 44.9 mi
- Greene CountyOH · 45.5 mi
- Defiance CountyOH · 46.9 mi
- Henry CountyOH · 46.9 mi
- Madison CountyOH · 48.2 mi
- Blackford CountyIN · 49.1 mi
Cities, largest first
- DaytonOH · 48.7 mi
- SpringfieldOH · 46.2 mi
- Huber HeightsOH · 44.3 mi
- FairbornOH · 49.6 mi
- LimaOH · 19.4 mi
- TroyOH · 31.0 mi
- RiversideOH · 49.4 mi
- TrotwoodOH · 48.2 mi
- PiquaOH · 23.6 mi
- SidneyOH · 14.8 mi
- VandaliaOH · 42.3 mi
- BellefontaineOH · 28.2 mi
Earthquakes around the epicentre
3 earthquakes of magnitude 3 or more within 50 miles of this epicentre since 1973.
No earlier earthquake of magnitude 5 or more within 50 miles in the catalogue since 1900.
USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog. Local time is the time zone of the county nearest the epicentre. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them.