Cleveland residents shaken up by magnitude 4 earthquake

CLEVELAND — Federal geologists say an earthquake of an estimated magnitude 4 has hit just northeast of Cleveland in Lake Erie, shaking up residents who flooded dispatch centers with calls.

There were no immediate reports of damage from the earthquake of preliminary depth of 3.11 miles. The U.S. Geological Survey is collecting responses from people who felt tremors. Magnitude 4 earthquakes can cause moderate damage.

The earthquake hit at 10:50 a.m. EDT Monday and was about 2.5 miles from Eastlake, a city of nearly 20,000 people.

The City of Mentor urged people to stop calling 911 unless they had an emergency because dispatchers were being “overwhelmed.”

Andrew Nyblade, professor in Penn State’s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, says northeastern Ohio has a history of seismic activity, including magnitude 4 earthquakes.