Shockwaves from a 3.8 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Maine could be felt across Franklin County Monday. According to the United States Geological Survey, the earthquake stuck York Harbor in southern Maine at 10:22 a.m., and could be be felt across New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

According to the USGS, the earthquake occurred at a depth of 8.2 miles below the Earth’s surface.

The earthquake was given a preliminary 4.1 magnitude ranking from the USGS, but downgraded t0 a 3.8 after data from more geological survey stations was reviewed. The earthquake was reported by 43 stations.

On the Richter Scale of magnitudes, an earthquake measuring 3.0-3.9 is considered a slight earthquake that is often felt by people and shakes indoor objects, but rarely causes damage. Similarly, a 4.0-4.9 rarely causes damage, but can cause objects to shake and fall over and can be felt by people.

William Clement, a professor of near-surface geophysics at UMass Amherst, said 3.0 magnitude earthquakes happen roughly every six months in New England, and 4.0 earthquakes occur once every four or five years. Small earthquakes occur frequently and are not something to be afraid of. 

“These things happen all the time,” Clement said. “They’re small enough that maybe you don’t feel it unless you’re really sensitive.”

Clement explained that earthquakes are caused by shifting tectonic plates. The plates are constantly moving, shifting and building up pressure. New England is located in the center of the North American Tectonic Plate. Larger magnitude earthquakes typically occur near the edges of the plates, where they crash into each other, but the stress of tectonic movements is spread across the whole plate and can build up and burst anywhere. 

“We’re in the middle of a plate so we don’t get a lot of them here,” Clement said. “But occasionally one pops up. It’s basically the plate releasing stress.”

The tremors were felt over a 100 miles away from Maine by residents of Franklin County, including those in Orange, Montague, Shelburne Falls and Greenfield. Residents shared stories on feeling the earthquake across community social media pages, and said they saw picture frames shake, tripped while walking their dogs due to the tremor, and were confused, thinking the tremors came from a car accident or nearby train.

Residents in the North Quabbin also felt the shaking Monday morning, around 115 miles away from the epicenter.

Katherine Erwin of Orange said that her knitting group meets three times a week in a building across from the Orange Fire Station, and near train tracks. 

"We heard the rumble and I joked that it must have been a big truck," Erwin said in an email to the Greenfield Recorder. "Others said it felt like an earthquake. We looked at social media and sure enough it was." 

Erwin reports that there was no damage to the building. 

In Athol, Jeni Ann Kingsley said she was at a friend's home off of Silver Lake Street when she felt the earthquake. She said she's felt earthquakes before, and this one sounded like a heavy object was dropped on the porch.  

A few miles west, Joanna Mae Boody of Millers Falls said she thought there was a train derailing at first from where she was on Federal Street, until a neighbor messaged her and they realized no train was nearby. That was when she saw the posts on social media about the earthquake. 

So far, no damage associated with the earthquake has been reported in Maine, but local emergency management officials will continue to assess the situation.

“We have not received word of any issues. We’ve spoken with the directors at York and Cumberland County EMA, and everything seems to be in order,” Vanessa Corson, spokesperson for Maine Emergency Management Agency said.

The York, Maine Police Department shared on Facebook that they were aware of the earthquake and had received dozens of calls and wanted to remind residents not to call 911 unless they had an emergency.

While large earthquakes are rare in New England, smaller earthquakes do occur occasionally. The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) shared on Facebook that even in New England, people should prepare for earthquakes. The agency has guidelines for emergency plans and hurricane safety tips on its website.

“The northeast is not immune to the effects of earthquakes and everyone should know the steps to stay safe in an earthquake: drop, cover, and hold on,” MEMA wrote.

Reporter Erin-Leigh Hoffman contributed to this story. 

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com