Did you feel it? Earthquake rattles parts of Massachusetts, New England

YEAH. JESSICA. GOOD AFTERNOON. MOST OF US FELT IT FOR ONLY A FEW SECONDS THIS MORNING, BUT THE SEISMOGRAPH HERE AT BOSTON COLLEGE WEST OBSERVATORY, IT ACTUALLY SHOOK BACK AND FORTH FOR SEVERAL MINUTES AROUND 1020 THIS MORNING. NOW, THIS WAS INITIALLY REPORTED AS A 4.1 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE, THEN DOWNGRADED TO A 3.8. THAT’S STILL MODERATELY STRONG FOR NEW ENGLAND. AND IT OCCURRED IN A SPOT OFFSHORE, NOT FAR FROM ONE OF THE BIGGEST EARTHQUAKES IN NEW ENGLAND’S RECORDED HISTORY. THIS IS A VERY INTERESTING LOCATION BECAUSE IN 1755 WE HAD A MAGNITUDE 6.2 EARTHQUAKE OFFSHORE EAST OF CAPE ANN. AND THERE’S SOME EARTHQUAKE ACTIVITY OFFSHORE THAT WE’VE DETECTED. AND THIS IS KIND OF AT THE NORTHERN END OF THAT. SO THAT MAKES IT VERY INTERESTING TO ME. IT’S PRETTY STEADY OUT HERE. PROFESSOR JOHN EBEL SAYS THIS IS AN AREA WHERE SEISMOLOGISTS SUSPECT THAT A FAULT IS LOCATED. BUT LIKE MOST EAST COAST EAST COAST FAULTS, IT HAS NOT BEEN SPECIFICALLY MAPPED. THIS EARTHQUAKE HAPPENED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN, BUT IT DID NOT TRIGGER ANY TSUNAMI. PROFESSOR EBEL TELLS ME IT WOULD HAVE HAD TO HAVE BEEN A MAGNITUDE SIX OR GREATER. IN OTHER WORDS, ABOUT 100 TIMES STRONGER THAN THE ONE TODAY. FOR THAT T

Parts of Massachusetts and New England felt a “once every five year” rumble and shake Monday morning when a small earthquake hit the area.According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a 3.8 magnitude quake hit about 6 miles off the southeast coast of York Harbor, Maine, at 10:22 a.m.”This is about a once in every five year earthquake on average that we get. So typically, the largest earthquake in New England is about a 3.0, 3.1, maybe 3.2,” Dr. John Ebel of the Weston Observatory said. “So this is significantly larger than that, felt over a pretty good area, maybe out to 40, 50 miles from the epicenter.”WCVB viewers from across Massachusetts reached out to report the quake.”We just felt a pretty steady earthquake up here in Newburyport. My parents in Dover, New Hampshire and brother in Portland Maine both felt it as well,” one WCVB viewer wrote in an email. Video: Earthquake rattles Gloucester, surprises Cambridge residents”Felt the earthquake in Methuen big time! 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!” another viewer wrote. “Just felt the house shaking, light swinging a little and table I was sitting at shaking. Did we just have an earthquake?” another viewer wrote. “I live at Lake Whalom in Lunenburg MA. I’m pretty certain we just had a small earthquake at approximately 10:20 AM. 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. My husband came out of his office right away and asked ‘was that a tremor?'” another viewer wrote.Maine averages one magnitude 3 or higher earthquake each year. At 8 miles deep, Monday’s quake was relatively close to the surface. Quakes 44 miles or less are considered shallow.Video: Earthquake shakes York Harbor, Maine communityAccording to the USGS, New England averages several small quakes per year, with most measuring 2.5-magnitude or less.The largest known New England earthquakes were a 6.5-magnitude in 1638 centered in Vermont or New Hampshire, and a 5.8-magnitude centered offshore from Cape Ann in 1755, which resulted in severe damage to the Boston waterfront.”(Monday’s quake) is a very interesting location because in 1755, we had an earthquake offshore east of Cape Ann,” Ebel said. “So that makes it very interesting to me to study the potential for active faults there.”The most recent New England earthquake to cause moderate damage was a 5.6-magnitude in central New Hampshire that occurred in 1940.Quakes are also not uncommon in the New York City/Philadelphia/Wilmington corridor. Moderately damaging earthquakes strike somewhere in that urban corridor roughly twice a century, and smaller earthquakes are felt roughly every two to three years, the USGS said.New York City was damaged by earthquakes in 1737 and 1884.

BOSTON —Parts of Massachusetts and New England felt a “once every five year” rumble and shake Monday morning when a small earthquake hit the area.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a 3.8 magnitude quake hit about 6 miles off the southeast coast of York Harbor, Maine, at 10:22 a.m.

“This is about a once in every five year earthquake on average that we get. So typically, the largest earthquake in New England is about a 3.0, 3.1, maybe 3.2,” Dr. John Ebel of the Weston Observatory said. “So this is significantly larger than that, felt over a pretty good area, maybe out to 40, 50 miles from the epicenter.”

WCVB viewers from across Massachusetts reached out to report the quake.

“We just felt a pretty steady earthquake up here in Newburyport. My parents in Dover, New Hampshire and brother in Portland Maine both felt it as well,” one WCVB viewer wrote in an email.

Video: Earthquake rattles Gloucester, surprises Cambridge residents

“Felt the earthquake in Methuen big time! 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!” another viewer wrote.

“Just felt the house shaking, light swinging a little and table I was sitting at shaking. Did we just have an earthquake?” another viewer wrote.

“I live at Lake Whalom in Lunenburg MA. I’m pretty certain we just had a small earthquake at approximately 10:20 AM. 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. My husband came out of his office right away and asked ‘was that a tremor?'” another viewer wrote.

Maine averages one magnitude 3 or higher earthquake each year. At 8 miles deep, Monday’s quake was relatively close to the surface. Quakes 44 miles or less are considered shallow.

Video: Earthquake shakes York Harbor, Maine community

According to the USGS, New England averages several small quakes per year, with most measuring 2.5-magnitude or less.

The largest known New England earthquakes were a 6.5-magnitude in 1638 centered in Vermont or New Hampshire, and a 5.8-magnitude centered offshore from Cape Ann in 1755, which resulted in severe damage to the Boston waterfront.

“(Monday’s quake) is a very interesting location because in 1755, we had an earthquake offshore east of Cape Ann,” Ebel said. “So that makes it very interesting to me to study the potential for active faults there.”

The most recent New England earthquake to cause moderate damage was a 5.6-magnitude in central New Hampshire that occurred in 1940.

Quakes are also not uncommon in the New York City/Philadelphia/Wilmington corridor. Moderately damaging earthquakes strike somewhere in that urban corridor roughly twice a century, and smaller earthquakes are felt roughly every two to three years, the USGS said.

New York City was damaged by earthquakes in 1737 and 1884.

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