Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

4.0-magnitude earthquake hits New England

A 4.0-magnitude earthquake struck New England last night.

MCT

The earthquake hit about three miles west of Hollis Center, Maine, which borders New Hampshire, at 7:12 p.m., according to Susan Hoover, geophysicist at the United States Geological Survey National Information Center.

Hoover said the earthquake was “felt pretty extensively” across New England and parts of Canada. She also said that people in parts of western New York felt tremors of the quake.

The USGS also reported tremors in Maine towns Lake Arrowhead, Springvale and Sanford, as well as Manchester, N.H., and Boston.

As of 8 last night, there had been no reports of injuries or damage to the USGS, Hoover said.

The Amherst fire and police departments also didn’t receive any reports of damage or injuries.

The USGS initially claimed the earthquake as a 4.5- and 4.6-magnitude earthquake. Hoover said that the initial numbers are “preliminary numbers” that change.

Hoover labeled the earthquake as “weak, light or moderate.”

“We usually refer to it as a light earthquake,” Hoover said.

Since 1970, there have been four other earthquakes that were 4.5 or higher in magnitude within a 124-mile range of the area where last night’s quake was centered, Hoover said.

Because of the geological makeup of the New England area, earthquakes of this size aren’t commonly felt in New England, Hoover said.

These size earthquakes “aren’t extremely rare, but not extremely common,” Hoover said, adding that they happen “all the time” in California and the Northwest.

“Earthquakes of this size occur frequently in California,” she said.

The earthquake was quite the buzz on social media platforms, including Twitter. Four of the top trends on Twitter late last night were related to the earthquake.

Herb Scribner can be reached at [email protected].

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