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Small earthquake shakes Milton
A 1.3 magnitude earthquake originated in Milton Wednesday morning. Some residents reported hearing a loud boom.
Some Massachusetts residents felt—or heard—a small earthquake Wednesday morning.
The 1.3 magnitude earthquake originated in Milton, according to the Weston Observatory at Boston College. It occurred at 9:37 a.m. and was recorded on the observatory’s seismograph. There were no reports of notable damage or injuries, but some residents reported hearing a loud booming sound.
“Most people would have experienced it as a boom, maybe a quick shake, maybe two or three seconds of a quick shudder,” John Ebel, a BC professor and senior research scientist at the observatory, told The Patriot Ledger. “For an earthquake that small, people hear it more than feel it.”
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In April, some people in Massachusetts felt an earthquake that originated in Lebanon, New Jersey, about 5 miles west of New York City. That quake had a 4.7 magnitude.
Ancient faults throughout the Northeast actually cause earthquakes to happen more frequently here than many may realize, Scientific American reported. Most have a magnitude of 2.5 or less and can occur without anyone realizing.
There have been about 20 earthquakes with a magnitude above 4.5 on the East Coast since 1950, according to the United States Geological Survey. The West Coast has experienced more than 1,000 in that time.
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