QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0ml

Earthquake near Barnesville, OH

No earthquake was likely felt in Barnesville in the 24 hours to 7:28 am EST (12:28 UTC). The last one was M 2.9, 34 km (21 mi) WSW, at 11:13 pm EDT on 8 May 2025, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 42 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Barnesville

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 9 km (5 mi) northwest of Barnesville, OH, at 4:50 am EDT on 3 August 2016 (08:50 UTC), 1.0 km deep.

USGS: 1 km SW of Fairview, Ohio

4:50 am EDT, Aug 3, 2016 · · 1.0 km deep · released about 28 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Guernsey County 21 kmBelmont County 24 kmHarrison County 30 kmNoble County 36 kmMonroe County 38 kmTuscarawas County 49 kmMarshall County 53 kmOhio County 54 kmJefferson County 57 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
4:50 am EDT on 3 August 2016 ()
Where
9 km (5 mi) northwest of Barnesville, OH · earthquakes near Barnesville
Magnitude
M 2.0 (ml)
Depth
1.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Guernsey County, 21 km W
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3752 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 24 km (15 mi) from the epicentre. In Barnesville, 9 km away, the estimate is intensity II (weak). Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Bethesda, Byesville, Cambridge, Saint Clairsville.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 28 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 540,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 380,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 34× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 28 lb of TNT

Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.

For this area

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

Before 2016, the USGS record since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km.

Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.

Where

Epicentre 40.0460, -81.2457. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Guernsey County, OH 21 km (13 mi) W earthquakes near Guernsey County
Belmont County, OH 24 km (15 mi) E earthquakes near Belmont County
Harrison County, OH 30 km (19 mi) NNE earthquakes near Harrison County
Noble County, OH 36 km (22 mi) SSW earthquakes near Noble County
Monroe County, OH 38 km (24 mi) SSE earthquakes near Monroe County
Tuscarawas County, OH 49 km (30 mi) NNW earthquakes near Tuscarawas County

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

9 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 2.9 3 km S of Pleasant City, Ohio
  2. 2.3 2 km SW of Pleasant City, Ohio
  3. 2.8 1 km SE of Pleasant City, Ohio
  4. 3.1 3 km S of Pleasant City, Ohio
  5. 3.1 3 km ESE of Buffalo, Ohio
  6. 3.4 1 km WNW of Batesville, Ohio
  7. 3.0 5 km W of Graysville, Ohio
  8. 1.8 6 km S of Stafford, Ohio
  9. 2.2 6 km SSE of Stafford, Ohio

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.

On USGS

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.