QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.5md

Earthquake near Georgetown, OH

No earthquake was likely felt in Georgetown in the 24 hours to 9:47 am EST (14:47 UTC). The last one was M 3.1, 115 km (71 mi) E, at 4:04 pm EST on 3 February 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 863 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Georgetown

This page: a magnitude 2.5 earthquake was recorded 8 km (5 mi) northeast of Georgetown, OH, at 1:15 am EST on 3 March 2019 (06:15 UTC), 13 km deep. 5 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 5 km NW of Russellville, Ohio

1:15 am EST, Mar 3, 2019 · · 13 km deep · released about 160 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Brown County 4 kmAdams County 32 kmClermont County 32 kmMason County 34 kmBracken County 35 kmHighland County 37 kmCampbell County 48 kmRobertson County 48 kmPendleton County 51 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
1:15 am EST on 3 March 2019 ()
Where
8 km (5 mi) northeast of Georgetown, OH · earthquakes near Georgetown
Magnitude
M 2.5 (md)
Depth
13 km below the surface
Felt
5 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Brown County, 4 km NW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2738 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 43 km (27 mi) from the epicentre. In Georgetown, 8 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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: Mount Orab, Winchester, Ripley, Augusta, Bethel, Williamsburg.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 160 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 95,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 68,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 6× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.5 about 160 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 38.9033, -83.8322. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Brown County, OH 4 km (3 mi) NW earthquakes near Brown County
Adams County, OH 32 km (20 mi) ESE earthquakes near Adams County
Clermont County, OH 32 km (20 mi) WNW earthquakes near Clermont County
Mason County, KY 34 km (21 mi) S earthquakes near Mason County
Bracken County, KY 35 km (22 mi) SW earthquakes near Bracken County
Highland County, OH 37 km (23 mi) NNE earthquakes near Highland 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. 2.2 2 km SSE of Concord, Kentucky
  2. 2.5 2 km NE of Hillsboro, Ohio
  3. 2.4 6 km SSE of Georgetown, Ohio
  4. 2.2 3 km SSW of Bentonville, Ohio
  5. 2.5 3 km SW of Old Washington, Kentucky
  6. 2.1 3 km SE of Ripley, Ohio
  7. 3.0 2 km E of Manchester, Ohio
  8. 2.1 10 km S of Concord, Kentucky
  9. 1.8 11 km SE of Maysville, Kentucky

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.