shallow earthquake struck central Maryland Saturday night.
The 2.4 magnitude earthquake occurred after 10 p.m. Saturday near Crownsville, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
Zachary Reeves, geophysicist with the agency, said the quake was centered in Anne Arundel County, about a mile and a half west of Crownsville. He said 118 people reported the quake as far away as Brooklyn to the north, Harwood to the south, Bowie to the west and Severna Park to the east.
The quake was reported at five kilometers depth, or about 3 miles under the earth's surface, making it a shallow earthquake, Reeves said. To those near Crownsville, Reeves said the quake would have produced "a little shaking."
No damage was expected, he said. The quake stuck at 10:07 p.m.
Saturday's earthquake was one of largest of the 10 that have been reported in the Baltimore area since 1950, Reeves said. Maryland's strongest earthquake on record was 3.1 magnitude in 1978 near Hancock in Washington County.
By Sunday morning, about 50 quakes had been reported in California since the Crownsville tremor. Only one was stronger than 2.5 magnitude.
A 5.8 magnitude quake, centered in Virginia, shook the East Coast in August 2011.