QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.4md

Earthquake near Hillsboro, OH

No earthquake was likely felt in Hillsboro in the 24 hours to 10:29 am EST (15:29 UTC). The last one was M 2.5, 3 km (2 mi) NE, at 5:50 am EST on 22 February 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 90 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Hillsboro

This page: a magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 13 km (8 mi) northeast of Hillsboro, OH, at 2:27 pm EDT on 20 March 2022 (18:27 UTC), 8.5 km deep.

USGS: 8 km N of Highland Holiday, Ohio

90 km (56 mi) SSW of Columbus, OH

2:27 pm EDT, Mar 20, 2022 · · 8.5 km deep · released about 100 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Highland County 14 kmFayette County 32 kmClinton County 32 kmRoss County 37 kmPike County 44 kmAdams County 49 kmBrown County 50 kmPickaway County 56 kmGreene County 58 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
2:27 pm EDT on 20 March 2022 ()
Where
13 km (8 mi) northeast of Hillsboro, OH · earthquakes near Hillsboro
Magnitude
M 2.4 (md)
Depth
8.5 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Highland County, 14 km SW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1696 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 38 km (24 mi) from the epicentre. In Hillsboro, 13 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: Leesburg, Greenfield, New Vienna, Lynchburg, Sabina, Washington Court House.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 100 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.4 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 150,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 110,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 9.4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.4 about 100 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 39.2712, -83.4868. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Highland County, OH 14 km (9 mi) SW earthquakes near Highland County
Fayette County, OH 32 km (20 mi) N earthquakes near Fayette County
Clinton County, OH 32 km (20 mi) WNW earthquakes near Clinton County
Ross County, OH 37 km (23 mi) E earthquakes near Ross County
Pike County, OH 44 km (27 mi) ESE earthquakes near Pike County
Adams County, OH 49 km (30 mi) S earthquakes near Adams County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.5 2 km NE of Hillsboro, Ohio
  2. 2.4 3 km SW of Rarden, 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.