An earthquake measuring 3.8 on the Richter scale hit the Northeast on Monday morning, and its effects were felt in areas such as Boston, with residents reporting feeling the tremors, officials confirmed.
The epicenter of the earthquake was located about 6.5 miles southeast of York, Maine, causing the ground to shake shortly before 10:30 a.m. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) initially recorded the magnitude as 4.1 but later revised it to 3.8.
“Today’s M3.8 near Bar Harbor, Maine, reminds us that earthquakes are unusual but not unheard of along the Atlantic Seaboard,” USGS wrote on X.
The National Weather Service (NWS) in Caribou, Maine, said there was no threat of a tsunami.
“Pretty decent jolt here. Big WTF moment,” the user wrote in a second post. “I rushed to the windows to see if something hit the house.”
NWS Boston, about 65 miles south of York, asked residents if they felt the rumble.
Other residents in New Hampshire and Rhode Island also reported the rattle.
According to USGS, the New England region, extending as far south as Long Island, New York, has experienced minor earthquakes in the past and has also endured occasional larger ones dating back to colonial times.
“Moderately damaging earthquakes strike somewhere in the region every few decades, and smaller earthquakes are felt roughly twice a year,” USGS said. “The Boston area was damaged three times within 28 years in the middle 1700’s, and New York City was damaged in 1737 and 1884.”
