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A 3.8-magnitude earthquake originating off the coast of Maine shook New England today, with tremors felt in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire.
The earthquake occurred 8 miles underground near York Harbor at 10:22 a.m. local time, according to the United States Geological Service. Smaller earthquakes are fairly common in Maine, but the state typically only sees an earthquake at a 3-point magnitude or higher once a year, according to the state’s geological service.
Monday’s incident marked the strongest earthquake in the northeast U.S. since last year when a 4.8-magnitude earthquake hit New Jersey in April — the strongest to hit the region in more than a decade, NBC News reports.
There is currently no tsunami threat in New England, according to the U.S. Tsunami Warning Center.
“This is like a once-in-every-five-years type of earthquake,” John Ebel, a senior scientist with Boston College’s Weston Observatory, told WBZ-TV.
Still, residents were surprised by the sudden shaking.
“It was brief, 5-8 seconds but my entire house shook and I had couple loud bangs that I’m not sure what they were. It was pretty intense for something that small and brief,” one Massachusetts resident told WCVB.
“It lasted about 5-10 seconds and a pocket door near me was rattling and I could feel the vibration under my feet and my body on my couch,” another resident told the outlet. “My husband came out of his office right away and asked, ‘Was that a tremor?’”
The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency said there have been no reports of damage in the state as of 10:50 a.m. local time. The Independent has contacted emergency management officials in New Hampshire and Maine for more information.
Aftershocks are possible, Ebel told WBZ-TV.
“If the aftershocks get to be, you know, magnitude 2.8, 3,0, or 3,1, let’s say those will be felt probably by the people in the North Shore area of Massachusetts as well as coastal New Hampshire and south coastal Maine,” Ebel said.
More to come…
