A light but rare 3.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of southern Maine on Monday morning, according to the United States Geological Survey, sending trembles as far south as Providence, R.I., and Cape Cod, Mass.
The earthquake’s epicenter was about 10 miles east of Portsmouth, N.H., the survey said. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
According to the survey’s self-reporting tool, people reported feeling shaking in Providence, about 100 miles southwest of the epicenter, and Augusta, Me., about 90 miles away.
The Maine Emergency Management Agency said on social media that the earthquake occurred at 10:22 a.m. As seismologists review available data, they may revise the earthquake’s reported magnitude.
The morning shake caught many New Englanders off guard.
Joe Watts, the chief executive of Star Island, a summer community and conference center just off the coast of New Hampshire, said he thought the boiler in his Portsmouth, N.H., office had exploded at first. A friend on the phone with him at the time of the earthquake described it as a truck driving into a building.
The tremors lasted for about 10 seconds, he said.
“We’re probably wimps compared to people in the Bay Area,” he said. But for this quiet corner of New England, “it was a big deal,” he said.
Jane Sweeney, an activities assistant at a senior living community in Rye, N.H., seven miles south of Portsmouth, said she had just finished setting up for an art class around 10:30 a.m. when the floor and walls of the building began rocking so noticeably, she thought that the oil burner may have exploded in the basement.
“It was pretty scary — it really shook me up — and I ran to check on the residents,” she said. “Everyone was coming out of their rooms. It’s not something we’re used to experiencing here.”
Jenna Russell contributed reporting.