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Delaware earthquake registers at 4.1

Posted at 7:32 AM, Dec 01, 2017
and last updated 2017-12-01 07:32:50-05

A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck Thursday afternoon near Dover, Delaware, and was felt from New York to Baltimore.

The rare mid-Atlantic earthquake was about 6 miles east-northeast of Dover and was registered at a depth of 5 miles, the US Geological Survey reported.

“We definitely felt it here,” said Master Cpl. Gary Fournier of Delaware State Police. “We have not received any reports of damage at this time. (My) house shook and you could hear thing rattle. It sounded like a train and lasted about a second.”

Roland Balik, a spokesman for the 436th Airlift Wing at Dover Air Force Base, said he did not feel it but said people on base were talking about it.

The quake’s epicenter was about 50 miles from Philadelphia, 66 miles from Baltimore, 90 miles from Washington and 125 miles from New York City.

Mary Bracken of Yardley, Pennsylvania, told CNN affiliate KYW that she was sitting on a bed on the second floor of her home.

“(The) house vibrated,” Bracken said. “My husband felt it in (the) next room, too. It was like road construction out front except we aren’t having any road construction.”

A man who lives near Baltimore told CNN affiliate WJZ that he recognized the feeling from his days in California.

“It just felt like a train going by, but there aren’t any trains around here,” said Gustavo Vila, an Anne Arundel County resident.

A spokesman for New Jersey State Police, Sgt. Lawrence Peele, said: “We haven’t gotten any calls or reports of damage or anything like that. I didn’t feel anything.”

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries in Philadelphia or New York, the cities tweeted.