High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The 1916 Irondale earthquake struck north–central Alabama on October 18, 1916. The greatest earthquake recorded in state history, it registered an estimated magnitude of 5.1 on the Richter scale and resulted in extensive minor damage, reaching its maximum severity near its epicenter in the city of Irondale. Damage from the earthquake, which included cracked windows, fallen chimneys, and the drying of wells, was limited to Shelby and Jefferson counties. Though no one was killed, the earthquake did result in widespread panic, sending alarmed workers from the buildings in which they were working.