Community Corner

A Big Earthquake in Melrose: What Are the Chances?

New England is home to regular earthquake activity, but how big is too big?

New Englanders from Maine to Massachusetts and Rhode Island felt the .

It was the largest earthquake in New England since 1982, when a 4.7 quake  centered in Laconia, New Hampshire shook homes and rattled shelves. The last earthquake to reach the 4.0 threshold was in 2006, a 4.0 quake in Bar Harbor, Maine.

A larger quake in Virginia was felt throughout the eastern seaboard in 2011. In the 17th century, a 6.2 magnitude quake was felt throughout New England, the current record.

Find out what's happening in Melrosewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Could we see shakes that significant today? 

 

Find out what's happening in Melrosewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Are we doomed? 

Any area with regular earthquake activity, including New England, is at risk for major earthquake activity "at some point," Boston College geophysics professor John Ebel said Tuesday.

Of course, Ebel is speaking geologically - "at some point" could mean tomorrow, a month from now or in hundreds of years. Still, the potential exists, with most earthquakes starting to cause damage near the 5.0 magnitude.

As far Tuesday's quake goes, Ebel suspects that homes near the epicenter may have had some rattled dishes or cracked plaster.

Ebel said there may be aftershocks from Tuesday's quake, but didn't expect residents to feel them. 

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