The January 31, 1986 earthquake
M5.0near Chardon, Ohio
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake 6.2 miles deep, centred in Lake 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
- moment magnitude (mw)
- Depth
- 6.2 mi
- 10.0 km below the surface
- Local time
- Friday, January 31, 1986
- 11:46 EST; 16:46 UTC
- In Ohio’s record
- 2nd
- strongest of 108 since 1900
USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, event usp0002qkz (“4 km NNW of Chardon, 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
2.5
Largest aftershock, Feb 7, 1986
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.
Counties and cities within 50 miles
Distance from the epicentre to each county boundary (zero when inside) and to each city centre.
Counties
- Lake CountyOH · inside
- Geauga CountyOH · 3.2 mi
- Cuyahoga CountyOH · 13.1 mi
- Ashtabula CountyOH · 13.1 mi
- Trumbull CountyOH · 13.1 mi
- Portage CountyOH · 22.4 mi
- Summit CountyOH · 24.0 mi
- Crawford CountyPA · 35.0 mi
- Mercer CountyPA · 35.0 mi
- Erie CountyPA · 35.9 mi
- Mahoning CountyOH · 36.6 mi
- Medina CountyOH · 37.4 mi
- Lorain CountyOH · 42.4 mi
- Stark CountyOH · 45.9 mi
- Lawrence CountyPA · 49.3 mi
Cities, largest first
- ClevelandOH · 29.3 mi
- AkronOH · 43.5 mi
- ParmaOH · 34.6 mi
- YoungstownOH · 46.5 mi
- Cuyahoga FallsOH · 38.1 mi
- LakewoodOH · 35.0 mi
- EuclidOH · 18.9 mi
- MentorOH · 9.4 mi
- StrongsvilleOH · 41.8 mi
- Cleveland HeightsOH · 22.8 mi
- WarrenOH · 33.5 mi
- North RidgevilleOH · 48.1 mi
Earthquakes around the epicentre
21 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.