To gather as much information about these tremors and any future tremors, please report them to Jeri Jones by emailing him at jonesgeo@comcast.net or call (717) 887-7103. You may also email Dr. Charles Scharnberger at MIllersville University at scharnbereger@verizon.net to either report a tremor or ask any questions concerning this swarm.

     When you report a tremor(s), please list your address, time tremor(s) was felt, what did it feel like and how long did it last. Building a database with this important information will assist in establishing the number of tremors and center of activity.

     If you felt anything prior to October. including the same activity reported in June, 2011, we would like to hear from you. In addition to reporting tremors, if you notice any abnormal flow of groundwater (springs) and the occurrence of existing or new sinkholes, please report their locations.

     At a Board of Supervisors meeting of Swatara Township on October 12th, Dr. Scharnberger explained that this swarm may last a few days, few weeks or few months. The possibility of a larger earthquake that could cause damage to the infrastructure is quite low, but not out of the question. No swarms known on the East Coast of the United States are known to include a damaging earthquake. A magnitude 4.0 or greater earthquake is usually needed to cause damage to structures.

     Below are two seismograms recorded on the Pennsylvania Topographic and Geologic Survey’s seismograph in Middletown, PA. Dr. Charles Scharnberger calculates their magnitudes about a 1.0. Also, from the patterns on the seismograms, these were true tremors caused by slight tectonic movement in the bedrock and not from man-made explosions or any collapse of caves or sinkholes. Each record contains three different movements of the instrument: top line is vertical movement, the middle line is east-west horizontal movement and the bottom line is north-south horizontal movement.