Rare M3.8 earthquake hits Maine, felt in Boston and beyond
A shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M3.8 hit near the coast of York Harbor, Maine at 15:22 UTC (10:22 local time) on Monday, January 27, 2025. The agency is reporting a depth of 13.2 km (8.2 miles). The quake was felt as far away as Boston and beyond.
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
The epicenter was located 10 km (6 miles) SE of York Harbor (population 3 033), 13 km (8 miles) SSE of York Beach (population 12 854), 16 km (10 miles) E of Portsmouth (population 21 530), 80 km (50 miles) ESE of Concord (population 42 620), and 108 km (67 miles) NNE of Boston (population 653 833).
The earthquake originated at a depth of more than 13 km (8 miles) below the Earth’s surface and did not trigger any Tsunami Warning, Watch, or Advisory. Over 34 000 people reported feeling the quake.
According to the USGS, there is a less than 1% chance of one or more aftershocks that are larger than magnitude 5, which can be damaging, within the next week. There will likely be smaller aftershocks within the next week, with up to 3 magnitude 3 or higher aftershocks. Magnitude 3 and higher aftershocks are large enough to be felt nearby.
USGS said earthquakes along the Atlantic Seabord are unusual but not unheard of, adding that it remains an open question why earthquakes occur along the passive margin. Post-glacial rebound is one of the theories, but there are others, including stresses associated with topography, and erosion.
People in New England, as well as in its geological extension southward through Long Island, have experienced small earthquakes and occasional damage from larger, infrequent ones since colonial times.
Moderately damaging earthquakes occur in the region approximately every few decades, while smaller earthquakes are felt roughly twice a year. The Boston area experienced damage three times within 28 years during the mid-1700s, while New York City sustained damage in 1737 and 1884.
The largest known earthquakes in New England occurred in 1638 (M6.5), with an epicenter estimated in either Vermont or New Hampshire, and in 1755 (M5.8) offshore from Cape Ann, northeast of Boston. The Cape Ann earthquake caused severe damage to the Boston waterfront.
The most recent New England earthquake to cause moderate damage was M5.6 in 1940 with its epicenter in central New Hampshire.
References:
1 M 3.8 – 10 km SE of York Harbor, Maine – USGS – January 27, 2025
I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.
I felt it in Portsmouth NH. I was outside in a somewhat loud environment and it sounded/felt like someone was blasting ledge, but the blast went on and on for maybe 6 or 8 seconds. At that moment we had no snow pack yet, but we had significant frozen ground after the longest stretch of very cold weather I can remember for coastal New Hampshire. I surmise that this widespread frozen ground amplified the intensity of how the quake was felt, and explains the reasoning for why it was felt much further west and south than it was to the north, where increasing snow pack depths limited the amount of frozen soil. I understand there are fewer people who could report to the north, however. I’d be curious if there were snow pack depth data that could overlay with the felt reports of the quake. Many people I spoke with thought their furnace was blowing up, or there was a car crashing into their house. Having lived in Maine and New Hampshire since 1976, I’ve never heard reports of such significance from an earthquake. This year, many of us along the coast and to the south have been connected by a frozen upper crust of soil. One of my contractor friends in Newfields NH reported over 3 feet of frost in the ground. This seems like the perfect situation to amplify an earthquake. I’m curious if it has anything to do with why the USGS initially thought it was a 4.1, but downgraded it to a 3.9. Do you folks have any thoughts on this? Many thanks! I’m glad I found your web page!
I felt it in Kittery, between York and Portsmouth. I heard a really loud boom and the house shook like crazy. No damage. We are not used to earthquakes around here.
Thank you for reporting it.