Connecticut
rattled by two small earthquake tremors
December
3, 2013 – CONNECTICUT- Two
organizations that track seismic activity have confirmed that the
region experienced an earthquake on Friday, answering questions
raised about the mysterious booms heard by residents from Montville
to Mystic. The U.S. Geographical Survey recorded a 2.1 magnitude
earthquake at 9:05 a.m. Friday that was centered about 2 miles east
of Conning Towers-Nautilus Park, or 41.383°N 72.028°W in Groton.
The
Weston Observatory, an earthquake research arm of Boston College,
reported two earthquakes, one at 9:05 a.m. and another at 9:42 a.m.,
said Justin Starr, a research assistant. The quakes, Starr said, were
recorded somewhere in the area of the Thames River, close to Ledyard.
He said seismometers recorded both quakes as magnitude 1.8. He said
there are several ways to measure the earth’s movement and the
discrepancy in the magnitude recorded by the U.S.G.S. is not
uncommon. The noises produced by the earthquakes led to numerous
calls to local police and fire departments, which searched the area
looking for signs of an explosion. After she said her home in Old
Mystic shook, Nancy Peta had guessed it was either an earthquake or a
plane crash.
“To
hear it was an earthquake, I’m sure a lot of people will be
relieved insomuch that now they know what it was,” she said Monday.
Starr said Friday’s quakes were small and close to the surface. The
release of seismic energy causes the earth’s surface to act like a
speaker and emit a sound like an explosion. Starr said similar quakes
occurred in Massachusetts and New Hampshire in October and they are
not as uncommon as many would think.
“They
do happen every now and again,” Starr said. The Moodus section of
East Haddam is famous for small quakes, which to native Americans
would have sounded like loud drums, he said. The high school sports
teams there are named the Noises. Why they happen is a little more
technical. Starr said the general consensus is that in New England
earthquakes are a reactivation of ancient fault lines that are being
compressed from east to west. Stress builds up until the pent-up
energy is released. –The
Day
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