A 3.8 magnitude hit ten kilometers (Six miles) off the coast of York Harbor, Maine Monday Jan. 27th around 10:22 a.m and was followed by a 2.0 earthquake in almost the same spot Wednesday Morning.

Geologists say Wednesday’s quake was likely an aftershock and it’s possible for more quakes to follow. According the Maine Geological Survey‘s website the first quake was felt in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) told WMTW that Monday’s quake was the fifth largest recorded earthquake in Maines history. In 2024 there was four major earthquakes in Maine, the largest of which was a 2.8 on July 28, 2024 in West Gardiner. Monday’s quake was more than 10 times stronger than the quake in West Gardiner. WBZ-TV anchor David Wade “My house shook pretty good, it went on for what felt like a good five or 10 seconds.” (Riley, Jan 27th).

The United States Geological Survey said”Earthquakes are unusual but not unheard of along the Atlantic Seaboard.” (Shapiro, Jan. 27th). In an interview with CNN, USGS seismologist Susan Hough said “Statistically, earthquake activity always increases the chances of more activity – you’ve disturbed the crust.” (Yan, Miller, 2025)

The USGS originally rated Monday’s quake as 4.1 but later changed it to 3.8. The last earthquake to cause major damage in New England was a 5.6 magnitude quake that struck New Hampshire in 1940.

According to the USGS two quakes have also been reported in Ohio, the largest of which was a 3.1 quake in Jefferson Township on January 3rd at 9:04PM followed by a 2.8 quake near Reno, Ohio on the same day at 10:58pm.