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Earthquake!

No, you were not going crazy, there was actually an earthquake earlier this evening.  It occurred at 7:12 and was a magnitude 4.0 quake centered near Hollis, Maine in York County in Southern Maine.  There have been a few reports of cracked foundations and chimneys but no injuries.  It was a shallow quake, meaning that it didn't occur deep in the earth's crust.  This is why it was felt so far away from the epicenter because shallow quakes travel through less bedrock.

Quakes in New England aren't that uncommon, in fact in the last month there have been seven recorded...all however, were smaller than a 2.0 magnitude.  A quake of this size typically occurs once every 10 to 20 years.

The largest quake known to hit New England was a 6.5 magnitude quake back in the 1600s in New Hampshire.  The largest quake to strike Massachusetts was a 6.2 magnitude back in 1755 off of Cape Ann.  That particular quake caused serious damage to the Boston Waterfront.

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