A magnitude 2.3 earthquake rattled residents of D.C.’s Maryland suburbs Tuesday morning. No damage or injuries have been reported, according to local officials.

The earthquake struck at about 12:51 a.m., 9.5 miles underground about 1.86 miles west of Rockville, Maryland, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Local residents reported feeling minor shaking farther north into Maryland and farther south into northern Virginia, but most reports came from Montgomery County per a USGS map plotting 1,290 responses.

There have been no reports of injury or damage as a result of the earthquake, Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service Chief spokesperson Pete Piringer wrote in a post on X.

The nature of the underlying rock on the Atlantic seaboard means that earthquakes are felt more broadly across the region, the USGS said.

“Eastern U.S. earthquakes are felt much more widely than the western U.S. because the rocks in the continent are much colder, they’re much older and they’re much stronger. So, the energy gets transmitted much more effectively,” USGS scientist Thomas Pratt told WRC-TV.

Earthquakes are rarer in the region compared to seismic hotspots like California, throwing locals for a loop when they do happen.

“It’s crazy I didn’t know there could be an earthquake in Maryland,” Potomac, Maryland, resident Nathan Sharpe told WJLA-TV.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.