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Investigating an Earthquake Swarm in Ohio: Reactivation of a Large Precambrian Fault With a Destructive Past?

Description: 

On August 28, 2023, a ML 4.0 (Mw 3.6) earthquake occurred in northeast Ohio near a feature known as the Akron Magnetic Lineament (AML). This feature is thought to be a large throughgoing Precambrian fault identified on aeromagnetic anomaly maps, within the most seismically active region of the state. Since the main shock in 2023, more than 70 earthquakes of magnitude ML 1.0—2.8 have been recorded in the epicentral area. Through waveform cross-correlation (template) matching, more than 500 additional earthquakes have been observed. The sequence does not follow typical mainshock–aftershock magnitude rate decay (Omori’s Law) but does demonstrate correlation with Båth’s Law. Earthquakes are still occurring regularly at the time of this writing. In July 2024, the Ohio Seismic Network set up a temporary seismic station directly over the epicentral region of the swarm, and it has recorded dozens more earthquakes. The AML was the site of a destructive ML 5.0 earthquake in 1986, only 7 km south along strike from the current activity. This recent seismic activity has gained much attention from the local citizens after the mainshock (ML 4.0) in 2023 caused minor damage to local wineries. Over 1,600 Did-You-Feel-It (DYFI) reports have been generated from the ongoing seismic activity in this swarm, as the local population has become very sensitive to the shaking. The Ohio Seismic Network continues to monitor and analyze this surge in seismic activity to assess its causes and determine whether this is a swarm or a typical mainshock–aftershock sequence.

Session: Advanced Geophysical Observations, Analytical Methods, and New Insights for Earthquake Swarms [Poster]

Type: Poster

Date: 4/15/2025

Presentation Time: 08:00 AM (local time)

Presenting Author: Jeff

Student Presenter: No

Invited Presentation: 

Poster Number: 111

Authors