Small magnitude 2.5 quake hits 4 miles south of Columbia, Maryland, United States in the afternoon

An earthquake of magnitude 2.5 occurred in the afternoon on Monday, October 27th, 2025, at 5:17 pm local time near Columbia, Howard County, Maryland, USA, as reported by the United States Geological Survey.
According to preliminary data, the quake was located at a very shallow depth of 4.8 miles. Shallow earthquakes are felt more strongly than deeper ones as they are closer to the surface. Magnitude and other quake parameters can still change in the coming hours as the agency continues to process seismic data.
Our monitoring service identified a second report from The Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) which listed the quake at magnitude 2.5 as well. A third agency, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), reported the same quake at magnitude 2.5.
Towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include Riverside (pop. 6,500) located 3 miles from the epicenter, Columbia (pop. 99,600) 4 miles away, Scaggsville (pop. 24,300) 4 miles away, Hanover (pop. 38,100) 6 miles away, West Elkridge (pop. 28,700) 6 miles away, and Ellicott City (pop. 65,800) 6 miles away. In Severn (pop. 44,200, 8 miles away), Baltimore (pop. 576,500, 14 miles away), Washington (pop. 689,500, 23 miles away), and Annapolis (pop. 39,500, 23 miles away), the quake was probably not felt.

Earthquake data:
Date & time: Oct 27, 2025 05:17 pm (New York time) local time (27 Oct 2025 21:17 GMT)
Magnitude: 2.5
Depth: 7.67 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude: 39.18°N / 76.83°W (Howard County, Maryland, United States)
Primary data source: USGS
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquake/news/285041/Small-magnitude-25-quake-hits-4-miles-south-of-Columbia-Maryland-United-States-in-the-afternoon-.html