Blog de Puree

The Newburyport Daily News and Boston.com report that an earthquake, measuring 1.8 on the Richter scale, struck Amesbury and Merrimac at 7:15 Monday morning while many residents were getting ready for work.

While homes in the area were not shaken, many residents did report hearing a loud bang from the earthquake. The epicenter occurred just southeast of Merrimac center.

Dana Smith, a seismologist and associate director at the earthquake observatory, said in the paper that earthquakes of this magnitude typically occur once a year in the Amesbury/Merrimac area. This is due to a fault line that runs through the two towns.

Thankfully, the seismic activity in this area is nothing compared to other parts of the world, but Monday’s quake is a reminder that the seemingly sedate geologic area of New England is still alive and kicking deep underground.