Community Corner

Two Earthquakes Strike Near Woods Hole

Small earthquakes were recorded off the coast of the Elizabeth Islands Sunday evening.

Two small earthquakes struck within seven minutes near Woods Hole Sunday night.

The first earthquake, magnitute 2.1, occurred at 8:39 p.m. in Buzzards Bay just off the coast of the Elizabeth Islands. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 2.4 miles, and was located 12 miles from Woods Hole, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). A second, smaller earthquake, magnitude 1.3, occurred at 8:46 p.m. at the same approximate location, at a depth of .3 miles.

The seismic activity was recorded at Boston College's Weston Observatory.

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Earthquakes of small magnitude are a common occurrence throughout the world, and often go unnoticed by the general public. So far this year the USGS has reported 8,076 earthquakes, 1,559 below magnitude 4.0. More than 75 earthquakes were reported throughout the world on Sunday alone.

Even so, earthquakes in the surrounding area are rare. USGS data records of seismic activity in New England show that just a handful of earthquakes have occurred near Falmouth since 1924.

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