Seismicity has calmed in the northeast after weak earthquakes rattled south-central Connecticut and southeastern New Hampshire over the last week; according to USGS, there have been no other earthquakes having a magnitude of 1.5 or greater since those struck in the northeast in recent days.
The first earthquake hit near Killingworth, Connecticut last Friday April 11 at 10:12 am. That weak magnitude 1.6 event struck from a depth of 4.1 km due south of Hartford and west of the Lower Connecticut River Valley.
The second earthquake hit near Alton, New Hampshire last Monday, April 14, at 4:44 pm in the afternoon. That weak magnitude 2.0 event struck from a depth of 5 km about a third of the way between Concord, New Hampshire and Portland, Maine.
According to USGS, earthquakes with a magnitude of 2.0 or less are rarely felt or heard by people, but once they exceed 2.0 , more and more people can feel them. While damage is possible with magnitude 3.0 events or greater, significant damage and casualties usually don’t occur until the magnitude of a seismic event rises to a 5.5 or greater rated event.
The earthquakes in Connecticut and New Hampshire were minor and do happen from time to time in the region. According to the Northeast States Emergency Consortium (NESEC), earthquakes strike the northeast with some regularity, although strong and damaging ones are relatively rare.
