The week of Monday, Jan. 27, started with some unusual excitement as a rare earthquake shook much of New England, including Belmont.
The United States Geological Survey reported the 3.8 magnitude earthquake, centered about six miles off the coast of York, Maine, struck at 10:22 a.m. on Monday. Shaking could be felt as far south as Providence, Rhode Island, and north up to Augusta, Maine, according to the USGS. It was the strongest earthquake to hit the northeast since a 4.8 magnitude quake struck New Jersey last April, also felt in the greater Boston area.
“I was on a Zoom and all of the sudden the knickknacks on the bookshelf beside me started shaking,” Belmont resident Abby Klingbeil said.”It lasted a few seconds and was much more intense than last year’s earthquake, which I also was home for.”
While the shaking from Monday’s earthquake was enough to rattle dishes and frighten some pets in Belmont, it did not appear to cause any injuries or damage, according to town officials.
The town’s emergency services did not receive any calls for help directly caused by the earthquake, Belmont Police Chief James MacIsaac said. Belmont Fire Chief David DeStefano noted that while the department responded to six simultaneous calls around the time of the earthquake, they were all unrelated to the earthquake.
An earthquake that causes damage in this area is rare, said Dr. Oliver Boyd. a USGS research geophysicist.
“A damaging earthquake within 60 miles of today’s earthquake is expected to occur on average every 500 years (still relatively rare),” he said. “The last damaging earthquake in Maine was near Bar Harbor in 1904.”
During a strong earthquake, officials from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency recommend sheltering by getting on the ground, covering your head and neck with your arms, and crawling under a sturdy desk or table if there’s one available. Forget old advice you might have heard about standing in a doorway, though — according to MEMA, this doesn’t actually provide enough protection.