Yes, the ground shook! Maryland feels rare earthquake just hours after two hit the Atlantic

“It was a 2.5 on the scale, but that’s still too much for me,” one Threads user wrote.

Maryland typically doesn’t feel the Earth move unless it is Jayden Daniels doing something for the Commanders or Lamar Jackson ripping off a big play for the Ravens. However, on Monday evening (Oct. 27), residents quickly took to social media after reports of an earthquake hitting the state.

According to the USGS, the 2.5-magnitude earthquake happened after 5 p.m. in Waterloo, Maryland, just east of Columbia. While a quake of such magnitude is unlikely to cause damage, that didn’t stop many Marylanders from voicing their immediate concerns.

“We just had an EARTHQUAKE In Maryland,” one user wrote on Threads. Another user reacted, “Howard County. Um…earthquake?”

The reactions continued from there, filled with shock and astonishment. “At 5:17pm we had an earthquake here in Baltimore. It was a 2.5 on the scale but that’s still too much for me,” theluvonline shared.

Other community members couldn’t determine if it was an earthquake or something else.

“Was there an explosion in Howard County, Maryland?” one user wrote. “I felt the ground rumble in Columbia.”

Was there an explosion in Howard County, Maryland? I felt the ground rumble in Columbia

— Jimmy Shea (@jimmydshea) October 27, 2025

Another user immediately knew the first person to call when something strange happened.

“I was an earthquake i just called my gma the fastest wtf.” she wrote. 

I was an earthquake i just called my gma the fastest wtf.

— Rhon🥀Rhon💋 (@__Rhondaa) October 27, 2025

Maryland is has had small tremors in the past but the most significant quake occurred in August 2011 when a 5.8-magnitude earthquake originated in Mineral, VA and spread through the state. Until today, the last known quake was in 2017 when a 1.5-magnitude quake originiated near Roxbury, Maryland.

The rare earthquake in Maryland wasn’t the only disturbance captured along the East Coast. Two 6.0 magnitude earthquakes hit the Atlantic Ocean and could be felt as far as the Caribbean.