Small Earthquake Hits Berks County, USGS Confirms

BERKS COUNTY, PA — A magnitude 2.2 earthquake hit Berks County on Friday, the US Geological Service confirmed. Residents in the area thought at first that they'd heard an explosion.

The quake hit in Spring Ridge, which is just west of Reading, at 12:11 p.m. It hit about a mile and a quarter deep.

Some residents thought they had heard an explosion, initially, while others just felt the ground shake.

It led to a large amount of residents placing 911 calls, enough so that the Berks County Department of Emergency Services issued a statement asking residents not to do so.

"We are aware that there was an explosion or earthquake in the Wyomissing area," the statement reads. "Please do not call 911 if you do not have an emergency to report. We are overwhelmed with callers reporting nothing apart from hearing a loud noise and this prevents callers with real emergencies from getting through."

As of mid-afternoon Friday, 79 people had reported feeling the impact to the USGS. Almost all of those responses were in the immediate Reading area.

According to the USGS, earthquakes have historically hit this part of Pennsylvania at an average rate of once or twice per decade.

Did you feel anything in western Montgomery County? Let us know in the comments below.