4.0 earthquake rattles residents in New England states

October 17, 2012 – PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — An earthquake in southern Maine has rattled nearby New England states. The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter of the 4.0 magnitude quake was about 3 miles west of Hollis Center, Maine, and about 3 miles deep. That location is about 20 miles west of Portland. The quake was felt in Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, including Boston, and as far south as Rhode Island and Connecticut. The Maine Emergency Management Agency had no immediate reports of damage. The York County Communications Center near the epicenter was inundated with emergency calls, and dispatchers were too busy to talk. –Whdh

Loud rumbling noise: Some heard a loud bang. Others felt rolling vibrations. Still others thought it was a large truck, airplane, or helicopter. The 4.0-magnitude earthquake that hit west of Hollis Center, Maine, at 7:12 p.m. Tuesday was different things to different people as it rumbled across New England. “We heard it coming – it sounded like an airplane at treetop level. The quake probably only lasted about five seconds. It felt like it went up my driveway, under the kitchen and out the back yard. It was pretty cool,” Bill from Northborough wrote on the “Feel the Quake?” forum on boston.com. The earthquake surprised residents who rarely experience the phenomenon. Fortunately, no real damage was reported. More than 7,000 people across Massachusetts, including people from 344 of the state’s 351 communities, submitted reports of feeling the quake to the US Geological Survey’s website. More than 500 people in Boston and 300 in Cambridge filed reports, according to the agency. Hundreds of people also contributed accounts of the quake to boston.com. “I live in a house that’s over 100 years old. I’ve never felt any motion before. The house is solid, but this evening I felt it sway and almost ran out of the house. It was very disconcerting. I live in Lexington on a high hill,” Ashley Lieberman wrote. Mary shared her experience from York, Maine, which is about an hour from the epicenter of the quake. “At first, after feeling what seemed like a big bang, including a loud sound, I thought something in the neighborhood blew up or that a car hit the house, but then the house started shaking and I realized what was happening. It was pretty scary! I was glad it discontinued after a few seconds. Hope I never feel one again,” she wrote. Dan B. from Newburyport said his house shook for five seconds and he first ran to the basement to check his furnace. “I thought it was a large low flying helicopter,” he wrote. “It shook the nerves of my three children, all under 10 years old. We also have a calm dog who began to bark during the shake.” John Ebel, director of the Weston Observatory and professor of geophysics at Boston College, said some people might have had a few items rattled off shelves but that he has not received any reports of real damage. –Boston