Small Earthquake Felt In Southern NH, Parts Of Mass.
EAST KINGSTON, N.H. (CBS/AP) – A small earthquake was felt by some New Englanders Thursday morning.
The United States Geological Survey said there was a magnitude 2.7 earthquake situated in East Kingston, New Hampshire at about 9:30 a.m. Earlier, the agency's website said it was a magnitude 2.6 earthquake with an epicenter in Exeter.
The shaking was reported by people in southern New Hampshire and towns in Massachusetts including Newburyport, Amesbury, Salisbury and Tyngsboro.
You can easily see the blip on the seismograph this morning from Weston Observatory #earthquake pic.twitter.com/IeAoATmgfn
— Terry Eliasen (@TerryWBZ) February 15, 2018
Many saying a small earthquake in Northern MA/Southern NH. I sure felt something here. Anyone else? #Nbpt #NbptPD
— Matthew Simons (@LtSimonsNPD) February 15, 2018
Felt what I assume was an #earthquake in Salem #NH. Lasted quite a few seconds. Eerie feeling.
— Michael Kane (@MJKane1305) February 15, 2018
One person in Salisbury tweeted that their "whole house shook."
The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency said there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
John Ebel, a senior research scientist at Boston College's Weston Observatory, says people near the epicenter would probably have heard a loud boom, while people farther away would hear a rumbling and some ground shaking, maybe window rattling.
While earthquakes aren't all that frequent in New England, today's quake happened in a fairly popular spot by our standards pic.twitter.com/5CXPgGyruh
— Terry Eliasen (@TerryWBZ) February 15, 2018
But, he says, "it was way below the threshold for damage."
WBZ-TV Meteorologist Pamela Gardner tracked the quake.
She says Southern New Hampshire and Maine are the most frequent areas for earthquakes in New England, averaging at six a year.
"With this particular earthquake, it was number four so far since January 1, which means we're getting close to that average. Could we be done for the year? Possibly. But their could be more," Gardner said.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)