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By Abby Patkin
An earthquake off the coast of Maine rattled the Boston area Monday morning.
The United States Geological Survey said the 3.8-magnitude quake was centered about 10 kilometers, or 6.2 miles, southeast of York Harbor in Maine.
The earthquake happened at 10:22 a.m., per USGS. Shaking was reported throughout New England and even into parts of New York, Virginia, North Carolina, and other states along the East Coast.
The earthquake had a depth of about 8.2 miles, according to USGS. The U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center said a tsunami isn’t expected to hit the area. The York County Emergency Management Agency in Maine reported no remaining risk to the public and urged residents not to call 911 unless in the event of an emergency.
Monday’s quake “reminds us that earthquakes are unusual but not unheard of along the Atlantic Seaboard,” USGS wrote in a post on X.
New England sees “moderately damaging” earthquakes every few decades, but smaller quakes can be felt about twice a year, according to USGS. While earthquakes are less common on the East Coast than in the western U.S., they can be felt over a much broader region, the agency noted on its website.
“People in New England, and in its geological extension southward through Long Island, have felt small earthquakes and suffered damage from infrequent larger ones since colonial times,” USGS said.
The largest known earthquakes in New England were a 6.5-magnitude quake in Vermont or New Hampshire in 1638 and a 5.8-magnitude one offshore from Cape Ann in 1755, according to USGS.
Last year, New Englanders felt the rumblings of a 4.8-magnitude earthquake centered in New Jersey.
Here's what this morning's 3.9 magnitude #earthquake looked like from inside a home in Kittery! The shaking lasted just a few seconds but could be felt up and down the coast.
— Dan Lampariello (@DanWGME) January 27, 2025
🎥: Jillian Tripp@WGME #Maine @USGS @YorkCountyEMA pic.twitter.com/pD2Mkks4eb
This camera operated by the Stage Neck Inn in York Harbor Beach, Maine experienced shaking associated with the #earthquake. pic.twitter.com/FHEn1XCVZb
— Chris Gloninger, CCM, CBM (@ChrisGloninger) January 27, 2025
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Abby Patkin is a general assignment news reporter whose work touches on public transit, crime, health, and everything in between.
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