On Monday, Jan. 27, a 3.8 magnitude earthquake hit New England in York Harbor, Maine, while surrounding areas including Concord, New Hampshire could also feel it. Once again two days later on January 29, a second earthquake hit the same location, this time with a magnitude of 2.0.
Environmental Studies, Geography, and Sustainability Professor Charles Kerwin said about the earthquakes and how little they hit New England, “It’s actually more common than you think. We get probably on average 2-5 a year, and most of them are really small.”
Kerwin added that most people won’t be able to feel them, as they usually slip under the radar if the magnitude is 2 or lower.
“If you’re in your car or in your bed, your brain is going to decide that it was a gust of wind or a truck going by, and blow it off.”
When explaining why we get fewer earthquakes than hotspots such as California and Alaska, Kerwin said in regard to fault lines, it is not that we lack as many as those areas. However, it is because we are on the side of the North American plate that is less prone to earthquakes than California and Alaska.
“We’re kind of the tail of the dog. We’re just sort of following along. The faults are there, but it’s just really little readjustments of the fault. The plate is moving over the top of the next layer in the earth, so it’s not even on the bottom, it’s not flat so it kinda does this [causes earthquakes] as it moves along,” said Kerwin.
He said he does not anticipate a bigger earthquake will hit, much less any time soon.
“A question a lot of people have is, ‘Oh is there going to be a big one?’ Probably not in New England. The small ones are going to feel bigger because it is so close to bedrock, and that does ring that like a bell. As far as earthquake danger, the bigger ones tend to happen over in the Adirondacks, more than they happen here,” said Kerwin.
Kerwin said he unfortunately did not feel the earthquakes, as he was driving to Keene at the time. He added there is always a possibility of more hitting New England, because they are a very spontaneous natural event.
When interviewed, a few Keene State students talked about the earthquakes. Everyone said they did not feel the earthquakes. Some students did not even know that an earthquake hit. One student, senior Stephen Lucas, said, “I didn’t even know there was an earthquake until now.”
None of the students noticed any after-effects or anything remotely resembling an earthquake. Students also said they did not think it is common for earthquakes to hit New England; however, none of them said they believe it should be cause for concern.
In a statement posted on the popular social media outlet X (formerly known as Twitter) the United States Geological Survey (USGS) stated, “Today’s M3.8 near York Harbor, Maine, reminds us that earthquakes are unusual but not unheard of along the Atlantic Seaboard. If you felt it, or are in the area and didn’t feel it, please let us know!”
The USGS forecast states that there is a 15% chance that at least one aftershock of magnitude 3 or above could hit soon.
Dominic Rubio can be contacted at
drubio@kscequinox.com
