Tuesday evening earthquake downgraded to 4.0 magnitude
The town closest to Tuesday night's magnitude 4.0 earthquake's epicenter is Waterboro, at 4 miles north-northeast. (Map courtesy USGS)
Community Internet Intensity Map. (Map courtesy USGS)
The town closest to Tuesday night's magnitude 4.0 earthquake's epicenter is Waterboro, at 4 miles north-northeast. (Map courtesy USGS)
Community Internet Intensity Map. (Map courtesy USGS)
AUGUSTA -Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey Wednesday reduced the initial 4.6-magnitude reading of the Tuesday evening earthquake to a 4.0. When tremors struck southern Maine at 7:12 p.m. Tuesday, the USGS was calling it a magnitude 4.6 earthquake with an epicenter 3 miles west of Hollis Center in York County.
The USGS is now saying the epicenter was more accurately located at 43.592°N 70.676°W, which is further south and west of the original epicenter location at 43.611°N 70.661°W. The revised epicenter lies north of New County Road (Route 202) and Bartlett Pond, between Roberts Ridge Road and Deering Ridge Road, about 4 miles north-northeast of Waterboro and 13 miles west-northwest of Biddeford and Saco.
The original depth of quake's epicenter was reported by the USGS as 3.1 miles, that has also been revised Wednesday to an epicenter depth of 4.1 miles.
The temblor was felt across New England, with reports of strong tremors being felt in the Maine-New Hampshire area and smaller tremors being felt throughout much of Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont.
The largest Maine earthquake was a 5.1 in 1904. Maine has an earthquake about the size of the October 16 earthquake every 24 years.
Social media went alight with the news.
A Belfast resident posted on Facebook, "Did anyone else in the area just feel that? The whole house shook for about 30 seconds."
A Camden resident on Pearl Street logged in with, "Long and loud. Whole house rumbled and shook."
A Livermore Falls resident reported she was, "Watching 207, thought the furnace had a problem, couch was vibrating, seemed to last."
Knox County Emergency Management Agency Director Ray Sisk said county dispatch received numerous calls immediately after the first tremors were felt.
"It happens anytime there's a tremor," said Sisk.
In the hour after the temblor, Knox and Waldo counties were quiet, with no reports of related issues other than intermittent cell phone calling interruptions, likely due to usage overload.
For more information, visit http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usb000d75b#summary.
To learn more about the Richter Magnitude Scale, visit http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/topics/richter.php.
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