Description
A magnitude 4 earthquake was recorded late Wednesday night off Florida's east coast, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
It happened at 10:48 p.m. roughly 100 miles east of Cape Canaveral, USGS' website shows. As of this writing, at least 10 people reported weak to light-intensity shaking in areas including Melbourne, Palm Bay and Cocoa Beach.
Very few reports are anticipated: While a magnitude 4 quake can cause moderate damage, USGS data shows it was far off the coast and located about 6 miles underneath the ocean floor.
"This event is unique. It's kind of the largest event that we have off the coast of Florida and it's in a region where people are used to dealing with shaking, so that gets their attention," said Dr. Paul Earle, a seismologist with USGS' National Earthquake Information Center.
The risk of earthquakes in Florida is very low, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, making this event quite rare.
"Although seismicity is sparse we cant treat it like its non-existent, there is a small background level about one earthquake a year is pretty typical for Florida, but that can change and we keep learning more," says Dr. Steven McNutt, a volcano seismologist and geosciences professor at the University of South Florida.
MORE: https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/regional/florida/magnitude-4-earthquake-florida-east-coast/67-21975785-b28e-4573-8a0d-87e738669488
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