At 10:22am, a magnitude 3.8 earthquake centered just offshore of York, Maine shook New England and beyond. The preliminary rating had been a 4.1, but has since been downgraded twice.
Light to moderate shaking has been reported across New England, with additional reports of shaking down the entire east coast. The earthquake occurred just over 6 miles (or 10 kilometers) offshore of York Harbor. The earthquake occurred at a depth of just over 8 miles (or 13.1 kilometers).
Within 30 minutes of the earthquake, over 19,000 reports of shaking had been submitted to the USGS. As of 11am, the maximum MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) value has been rated at a V (or 5). This scale goes up to XII (or 12). This is preliminary and subject to change as more information comes in. Level V shaking is described as:
"Felt by nearly everyone; many awakened: Some dishes and windows are broken. Unstable objects are overturned. Pendulum clocks may stop. Trees and bushes shaken noticeably"
MMI estimated intensity reports as of 11:30am. Blue indicated I-IV while green indicates V:
There have been no reports of damage, which wouldn't really be expected with an earthquake of this magnitude. Despite happening offshore, no issues are expected along the Maine or New Hampshire coastlines given the nature and intensity of the quake.
Estimated MMI value as of 11:30am. The outermost ring indicated a value of 2.5:
Shaking from this quake lasted several seconds. In some cases, the shaking was felt for up to 30 seconds across southwest Maine and southeast New Hampshire. The Weston Observatory at Boston College captured the earthquake on their seismograph, seen below.
More significant earthquakes have occurred in New England's past, with the last truly large one occurring in 1940.
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