Minor Earthquake Rattles Residents Near Hillsboro Early Sunday
HILLSBORO, Ohio — A small earthquake shook parts of southwest Ohio early Sunday morning, briefly startling residents but causing no reported damage or injuries.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the magnitude 2.5 quake struck at approximately 5:50 a.m. about 4 miles beneath the surface near Hillsboro, a city roughly 55 miles southwest of Columbus. The tremor was strong enough to be felt by some in Highland County and nearby communities, including Greenfield and parts of Clinton County.
Residents took to social media to describe a brief rumbling and shaking that lasted only a few seconds. “It felt like a heavy truck driving by,” one Hillsboro resident wrote.
Minor quakes of this magnitude are not uncommon in Ohio, which sits near several ancient fault lines extending through the Midwest. Experts say quakes below magnitude 3.0 are rarely strong enough to cause structural damage but can be noticeable if conditions are quiet and the epicenter is shallow.
The USGS will continue to monitor aftershocks, though none have been reported as of late Sunday morning.