Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.4mb_lg
Earthquake near Lima, OH
No earthquake was likely felt in Lima in the 24 hours to 6:50 pm EST (23:50 UTC). The last one was M 2.9, 35 km (21 mi) S, at 12:27 am EST on 9 December 2023, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 387 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Lima
This page: a magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 4 km (2 mi) southwest of Lima, OH, at 12:22 am EST on 22 January 2021 (05:22 UTC), 5.6 km deep. 119 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 3 km SW of Lima, Ohio
- When
- 12:22 am EST on 22 January 2021 ()
- Where
- 4 km (2 mi) southwest of Lima, OH · earthquakes near Lima
- Magnitude
- M 2.4 (mb_lg)
- Depth
- 5.6 km below the surface
- Felt
- 119 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
- Nearest
- Allen County, 6 km NNE
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2038 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Lima, OH
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Lima, OH. No account or email needed.
Alerts are on for .
Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
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 41 km (25 mi) from the epicentre. In Lima, 4 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: Fort Shawnee, Cridersville, Elida, Wapakoneta, Spencerville, Delphos.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 120 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.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 130,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 89,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 7.9× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.4 about 120 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 lists 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:
- 5.4 Near Anna, Ohio · 30 km SSW of this epicentre
- 5.0 Near Anna, Ohio · 28 km SSW of this epicentre
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 40.7225, -84.1427. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allen County, OH | 6 km (4 mi) | NNE | earthquakes near Allen County |
| Auglaize County, OH | 19 km (12 mi) | SSW | earthquakes near Auglaize County |
| Putnam County, OH | 34 km (21 mi) | N | earthquakes near Putnam County |
| Van Wert County, OH | 40 km (25 mi) | WNW | earthquakes near Van Wert County |
| Hardin County, OH | 41 km (25 mi) | E | earthquakes near Hardin County |
| Shelby County, OH | 43 km (27 mi) | S | earthquakes near Shelby County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
1 earthquake has been recorded within 50 km since this one.
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
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.